Deja Vu
by Davis Family Fan
Summary: DAVIS FAMILY DRAMA.... Kristina's rebellious antics lead to disastrous and tragic results that impact every member of her family. How will her actions effect the family dynamic? Will the Davis women ever be the same again? SOME MATURE CONTENT.
1. Problems

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the rights to any of the characters.

**NOTE:** This story is a roller coaster on many levels. Expect the unexpected and the unforeseeable. How will Kristina's actions change the dynamics of her entire family?

**CHAPTER ONE**

Sam braced herself before knocking on her mother's office door; she hoped that her suspicions about her sister were wrong, but figured that she would speak to her Mom anyway.

When bottles of liquor and club attire turned up missing from Sam's apartment, she began to get worried. Having been a wild, **yet troubled**, teen herself, Sam immediately began to think about whether or not her 15 year old sister, Kristina, was responsible for this. Sam feared that her sister, behind the façade of being the perfect child, was becoming a miniature clone of herself: drinking, partying, and having sex. This was Sam's worst fear for her sister.

Taking a deep breath, Sam knocked and entered her mother's office,

--- "Hey Mom."

--- "Hi sweetheart!" Alexis said as she got up and greeted her eldest daughter with a big hug, "When did you get back from your trip?"

Alexis sat at the edge of her desk, while Sam took the seat in front of her.

--- "I just got back this morning, um that's why I'm here. Mom, how's Kristina doing?"

Alexis looked puzzled,

--- "She's been a little stressed and getting home late because she's been at the library working on a presentation for the Young Scholars of America convention in Boston next week. But, I wouldn't say that she seems out of the ordinary. Why do you ask?"

--- "Well, I've begun to notice that some of my clothes are missing - - -"

Alexis laughed,

--- "Sam, that's normal, Kristina looks up to you! I'm sure that when you're out of town, she makes a mad dash to your closet and takes things that she likes! It also helps that she's as petite as you are, so you wear the same size. Do you want me to talk to her about taking your things without your permission?"

--- "No, no, no, no, Mom, that's not what I mean. I know that Kristina takes my T-shirts and jeans when she feels like, even when I'm home; I love that Kristina is comfortable enough to consider my place her home. What I'm talking about are halter tops, mini-skirts, heels; things that are clearly not made for a 15 year old. I'm also noticing that some bottles of vodka and gin are missing from my cabinets ---"

Now Alexis was shocked; she had to interrupt her daughter,

---"Ok, Sam, you can't possibly think that Kristina is drinking; she's only 15! Is there a chance that you drank your drinks, and simply forgot since you've been away? As for the clothes, you _are_ friends with Maxie; is it possible that she may have borrowed some items of yours?"

Sam was getting annoyed. Her mother would prefer to think that she was some sort of lush, than to believe that Kristina could be rebelling. Alexis had always blamed herself for not having raised Sam; she felt that the hell Sam went through, the disastrous relationships and oversexed attitude were the result of Sam not having her mother's influence on her. Alexis could not possibly believe that a child she raised could be turning into a wild child.

--- "MOM! I know that its shocking to hear, but only you and Kristina have keys to my apartment, and I highly doubt that you would be taking my clothes! And before you say that I might have misplaced my things, here's another piece of evidence: Jason called me the other night and told me that he was driving passed Club Laser, and noticed a girl who resembled Kristina. He described what she was wearing, and I realized that I had something similar to that. When I went through my closet, I noticed that a halter I haven't worn in months wreaked like a pack of cigarettes, and had a red stain on it."

Sam noticed Alexis' face start to pale; this was more than circumstantial evidence. Sam continued,

--- "As for my alcohol, I know that it might be hard for you to believe, but I'm not a lush. I'm not in the habit of drinking alone. Since Lucky and I broke up, I haven't had any need for making drinks with my vodka or gin. Besides, their not my drink of choice! If you must know, if I'm going to lush it up for the night, I choose the tequila."

Alexis sighed, took off her glasses, and rubbed the bridge of her nose; she was beginning to get worried. Sam would not have brought this up if she didn't truly believe that something was up with Kristina. In fact, whenever Sam had any issue with either of her sisters, she usually went straight to them instead of involving Alexis. Therefore, this was clearly something that was bothering Sam enough that she had to take it to a higher power, so to speak.

--- "Sam, I didn't mean to infer that you were some kind of alcoholic. I'm sorry if I offended you. I know that you're worried about your sister, but this is hard to digest. Kristina is a good kid, she gets straight A's, she's active in school, and she's always volunteering; when would she have the time to party and drink? But, I also know how much you love your sister, and you wouldn't have spoken to me unless you weren't really worried. So, I think that we should sit down and talk to Kristina about this... I - I just really hope that you're wrong."

Noticing that Alexis was getting worried, Sam softened.

--- "Yea, me too. I don't want Kristina to be involved in any of the things that I was at her age. God, when my father wasn't teaching me to run cons against any guy who liked my body, I'ld be out and in the clubs when he was asleep. At Kristina's age, I was drinking, smoking, doing drugs, and having sex for money; I did it because I needed the escape from my already crazy life. I wasn't as lucky as she is; I didn't have a mother or sister to look after me."

Alexis' eyes began to tear up. When she gave Sam up for adoption, Alexis was told that Sam was going to a good family; had she known the hell that would become her baby's life, Alexis would have found a way to keep her. Alexis placing her hand on Sam's cheek said,

--- "Sweety, if there's anything I regret more in life, its that I didn't fight harder to keep you; it seriously breaks my heart when you tell me about how difficult your life was…"

Sam smiled; she didn't mean to make her mother upset by telling her about her childhood, but she appreciated Alexis' remorse. Taking her mother's hand in hers, Sam assured Alexis:

--- "Mom, how could you have known? Seriously, don't blame yourself! I'm just glad that I found you and that we've worked through our relationship; nothing that happened to me was your fault."

Sam was in awe of how she could also love Alexis as deeply as she did considering how she had previously blamed her for the loss of her baby Lila and her brother Danny. Sam never knew what it was to have a family until she found out that Alexis was her mother. While Alexis might not have always approved of Sam's actions, from the moment she found out Sam was her daughter, immense love filled the empty part of her heart that belonged to baby Sam.

**Flashback**

_Sam, having not only just been released from the hospital and still weak after being shot by Manny, but dealing with her break-up with Jason, was not in the highest spirits. Alexis, knowing this, asked Sam to move in with her to the Lake House._

--- "_Sam, I know that we still have a lot to tackle in regard to our relationship, but you're my daughter and I want to take care of you. I don't expect you to stay with us forever, but you're still too weak to take care of yourself. I have a big new house with plenty of room. In fact, your room is already furnished with it's own bathroom. You'll have your privacy."_

_Sam was not too keen on this idea, but what other choice did she have? Sam was still reliant on others to help her in and out of the shower because walking was difficult, and she certainly could not change her own bandage, as she couldn't reach the wound on her back. Sam hated to depend on Alexis; in fact, she all but hated her up until the point she found out that she was her mother. But, while Jason had given up on their relationship, Alexis remained a constant in her life, and had proved that she was willing to help her daughter with anything and everything. Although it was awkward being so vulnerable and helpless to her newfound mother, Sam became dependent on Alexis._

--- "_Alexis, I don't want you to go out of your way for me. You don't even like me. I don't want you to do this for me just because you feel sorry for me or because you feel you have to since I'm your kid."_

--- "_Sam, you're my daughter. I appreciate that we haven't always had the best of relationships, but I want to get to know you better. I want you to get to know your sisters. I want to be a mother to you, and I want you to be part of my family. Besides, I know how to care for you; I don't want you to hurt yourself or pop your stitches because you were trying to be independent. Sam, sometimes we all need some help, and I want to help you, not from obligation, but because I want to care for my child."_

_To Alexis, this was a second chance to form a relationship with the daughter she gave up long ago. While in a coma Sam became the little baby Alexis had been deprived of: she washed Sam, kept her moisturized, combed her hair, and manicured her nails. Alexis even learned how to properly clean Sam's gun wound and to replace her bandage. Once Sam was able to move about, Alexis took her to and from the bathroom, in and out of the shower, and helped Sam dress. Throughout Sam's stay at the hospital, Alexis had become a gift to the nurses, especially Elizabeth Webber, since she took such care for her daughter. Since Alexis was so attentive to her, was more than willing to continue to help her recuperate, and basically knew more about her than she cared, Sam knew that moving in with her mother was the best thing she could do until she regained her strength and independence._

_--- "Fine... sure, thank you Alexis. I - um, appreciate your concern... and your help --- with everything." Sam blushed._

_Alexis was the epitome of the mama bear; although she may have had her differences with Sam, she was still her cub, and Alexis was determined to help her in any way that she could. When Sam got back onto her feet, Alexis, in order to help her attain some independence, gave Sam a job at the Port Charles Police Department. Even after Sam slept with Ric, and was later on trial for shooting Diego Alcazar, Alexis, while fighting cancer and dealing with the side effects of chemotherapy, represented her. When Monica Quartermaine ran Sam down with her car a couple of years later, Alexis was once again there to care of her wounded cub, except it wasn't nearly as awkward as it had previously been for the mother and daughter who managed to forge a relationship._

_Alexis was by no means a saint, but she would do anything to protect her children, including Sam._

Alexis loved her daughter more than she could have ever imagined. She smiled, leaned in and gave Sam a gentle kiss on the forehead,

--- "Do you know how proud I am to be your mother, Sam? You've accomplished so much in your life despite the many lemons thrown at you! Talk about making lemonade! I love you more than you know, and I trust your judgment in regard to your sister. I have to finish up here, but why don't you order us some dinner for tonight, and we'll have dinner here and discuss this with her tonight?"

--- "Definitely. Sounds like a plan."

With that, Sam left for her office at McCall and Spinelli P.I.


	2. Peepshow

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the rights to any of the characters.

**CHAPTER TWO**

Kristina reached in her bag, grabbed the house keys, and unlocked the door. She entered her sister's beautiful apartment, where she often crashed for sisterly bonding, when her mother was annoying her, or when her sister was out of town and she wanted to entertain her boyfriends. Because she borrowed Sam's clothes when Sam was out of town, the men in her life believed her to be much older than she actual was.

Once inside Sam's apartment, Kristina turned around and gave a little flirty giggle to Jeff, her 21 year old boyfriend, who stupidly believed that Sam, (as he believed she was called), was 18, instead of the very underaged 15. She then grabbed Jeff, and gave him a passionate kiss. Within minutes, their clothes were all over the living room floor leading into Sam's bedroom.

Kristina, too busy making out and getting ready to have sex with her boyfriend, did not notice Sam's suitcase on the floor in her bedroom.

About thirty minutes later, a key unlocked the door to the apartment. Sam, back from the office, carrying her mail for the day stepped into the apartment. At the sight of clothes all over the floor, Sam's worries were confirmed. She dropped her things onto the desk, and walked into her bedroom, shocked to see Kristina and Jeff having sex in her bed.

--- "KRISTINA! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?"

--- "Oh shit!"

Sam was absolutely appalled by the sight of her little sister in the middle of doing something she clearly was not supposed to be doing. Kristina scrambled to get out of the bed, when Sam grabbed her, shielding her from the very much older guy who got more than a glimpse of her young sister, and handed her her bathrobe.

--- "You have GOT to be kidding me, Kristina! Put the damn robe on. I cannot BELIEVE you're having sex! You are in so much trouble, young lady."

Kristina embarrassed over being caught doing the nasty, reacted as a typical Davis girl would: in the defensive.

--- "I'm not a kid anymore. I can have sex with whoever I want!"

Sam was livid; this was beyond her wildest imaginations that Kristina would be having sex, let alone doing so in her apartment! She did not even bother answering her little sister, but turned around to face the naked adult standing on the other side of the bed covering himself with a pillow.

--- "How old are you?"

--- "21."

Sam thought, _this kid must seriously be stupid; there is no way in HELL that Kristina looks of age._

--- "21?! Do you have ANY idea how old my sister is?"

--- "She's 18… isn't she? Samantha, you're 18, right?!"

Sam glared at Kristina.

--- "You told this kid that you were 18? And you told him your name was Samantha? Have you seriously lost it? Do you know what Mom will do to him once I tell her about this? And before you open your mouth and ask me not to say anything, you can forget that; I'm NOT covering your ass."

Kristina was terrified at the thought that her mother would find out that she was having sex, let alone with a guy "above the age of consent."

--- "Sam, please, you can't tell her; she'll prosecute him. Please, I'll do anything, don't say anything to her; its not his fault, I told him I was 18."

Now it was Jeff's turn to speak,

--- "Wait, wait a second. What do you mean your mother will prosecute me? How OLD are you? And your mom's a lawyer?! I thought _your_ name was Sam."

Sam, still glaring at her sister, replied:

--- "No, I'm Sam. My little sister _Kristina_ here, is 15 years old. And she clearly neglected to tell you that our mother happens to be Alexis Davis, the District Attorney. "

Jeff looked as though he was about to lose his lunch.

--- "Oh my God! Please miss, don't tell your mother about this. I honestly thought that she was 18. I met her at a club two weeks ago, and she told me that she was a student at a college in New York, but she was crashing here for the summer. I really thought that she was 18; you have to believe me! I can't afford to be thrown in jail for this, I'm going to med school next year."

Sam felt bad for the poor kid; she didn't want to ruin this guy's life by telling her mother, but she knew that she had to tell her something because Alexis will certainly ask about the guy her young daughter was sleeping with. Sam didn't want to have this kid labeled a sex offender for the rest of his life, but she was going to be damned sure that he wasn't some kind of freak that preyed on young girls; Spinelli was going to have to research on this guy.

--- "Look, I won't tell my mom about you, but you better get your clothes together right now and get out of my house. If I EVER see you around my sister again, you _will_ regret it. You have about 5 minutes to get out of my house. Kristina, go take a shower right now. I'm calling Mom."

--- "Sam, please don't –"

--- "Are you kidding me? I'm not keeping this from her! Get in the shower right now!"

Kristina ran from the room in tears. Jeff got his things together, and was out of the house in 3 minutes.

Sam picked up the phone and dialed her mom.

--- "Mom, you need to get to my place right now."

Alexis was nervous,

--- "Honey, what's wrong?"

--- "I can't discuss that right now, just drop what you're doing and get over here... _please."_

Alexis closed the file she was going through, grabbed her bag, and was out of the door.

While Kristina was in the shower, Sam searched through her sister's belongings: her pockets, her wallet, and her purse. In her search, Sam found Kristina's birth control pills, a pack of cigarettes, and a fake I.D using the name Samantha McCall. Sam viewed Kristina's text messages, and noticed explicit texts with nude and semi-nude pictures of Kristina; with each find, Sam became more and more terrified that her sister was going down the same path Sam once did. Alexis needed to be told about all of this, and they would need to come up with a way to curb Kristina's antics.

* * *

Alexis arrived at Sam's apartment in less than 10 minutes, and let herself in with her key.

--- "Sam, what's the matter?"

Sam came out her bedroom with a freshly showered Kristina following behind her, holding bed sheets.

--- "Mom, remember what we talked about this morning? Well, I just caught the live show of Kristina having sex in my bed."

--- "WHAT?! Sam, tell me this is a joke? Kristina?"

While Sam had promised not to give Alexis Jeff's information, she never promised that she wouldn't tell their mother everything else. Kristina had not even looked in her mother's direction since she came out of the bedroom. She blushed at the embarrassing memory of her sister walking in on her having sex.

--- "No, mommy, it's not a joke; Sam's telling the truth."

For a girl who wanted to be treated as an adult, Kristina reverted to calling Alexis "mommy" when she was sick or in deep trouble.

Alexis was at a loss for words. How in the world could this have happened? Kristina was a good kid, with good marks in school, and destined to go to Yale! Alexis felt short of breath, so she sat down on the couch, and rubbed her head; she had no idea what to say.

Sam looked at her mother, who looked as though she was about to pass out.

--- "Mom, you ok? Kristina, go get her a glass of water."

Alexis sighed,

--- "No, I'm fine. Kristina, get over here."

Kristina obeyed her mother. Alexis stood up, and pointed her finger at her daughter, who at this point looked more like a 5 year old, than a 15 year old.

--- "What were you thinking? How long has this been going on? Who was this kid? I want his name, and his number, I'm calling his parents…"

Sam and Kristina weren't shocked by their mother's reaction, but they were not about to give up that information.

--- "MOMMY!"

--- "MOM! Why do you need all that? I already took care of him. I mean, I think he was embarrassed enough having me walk in on them. I don't think all that is necessary. Don't worry, he won't be hanging around Kristina again."

Alexis was suspicious. She walked up to her very petite eldest daughter, towering over her,

--- "Sam, why don't you want me to call this kid's parents? And what do you mean you took care of him? What aren't you telling me?"

Although she was a grown woman, Sam was intimidated by her mother, especially when she came that close to her demanding information; she didn't like getting on Alexis' bad side because the Cassidines had a talent for turning their hearts cold. Seeing her mother as she was at that moment, it was no wonder Alexis was one of the best attorney's in Port Charles; Sam was not about to lie to her to save Kristina's behind. Sam handed Alexis Kristina's cell phone showing her the images and texts throughout.

--- "Sorry Kristina, but I'm telling her. Mom, Kristina has been doing exactly what I told you I suspected she was doing: she's been partying and drinking. I found birth control pills in her purse, along with cigarettes and her cell filled with these disgusting texts, and pictures of herself, and of other guys. Apparently she's been clubbing when she's told you she was at the library, and met this kid at one of the clubs two weeks ago. She's been hooking up with him HERE ever since."

Kristina was on the verge of tears. She could not believe her sister ratted her out. Kristina always idolized Sam, and now she was betraying her by telling their mother about things Sam probably did when she was her age.

--- "Sam, you're such a friggin' traitor. I CANNOT believe you told her!"

Kristina once again became defensive, but this time toward her mother.

--- "Fine, Mom, I'm having sex, and I'm drinking, _and_ I'm smoking! I guess you won't get the perfect mother's award! There's nothing that you can do about it now! Get over it."

Alexis, who had been pacing back and forth, was shocked by the way Kristina was speaking to her. She grabbed Kristina's arm, practically yanking the small teen into her.

--- "Get over it? Kristina, are you kidding me? Get over it? You're 15 years old; you're drinking, clubbing, smoking and having sex! How DARE you tell me to get over it? Are you aware that by sending out all these sexual pictures of yourself, you're committing a crime? You're disbursing child pornography! I CANNOT believe you. What's worse is that not only have you been sneaking around, you've been doing it in your sister's apartment! Don't you have any respect for Sam? Aren't you even a little embarrassed that she caught you having sex in her bed, or that these pictures of you are being circulated all over the country? Are you even using protection? How long has this been going on for, you having sex with some random guy you met at a club?" Alexis still grabbing a hold of Kristina, turned to her eldest, "Sam, how old was he?"

This was the question that Sam was hoping that her mother would not ask her. She looked down at the floor, and replied, barely above a whisper,

--- "21."

Alexis finally let go of Kristina's arm, and once again charged toward Sam.

--- "21?! Sam, I want this kid's name right now! ---"

Sam interrupted, pointing her finger at Alexis,

--- "Mom, I'm not giving you that information."

Alexis took Sam's finger in her hand; she hated when her kids pointed their fingers at her.

--- "What do you mean you're not giving it to me? Your sister was just statutorily raped and you don't want to give me this guys name so that I can nail him to the wall? What's the matter with you? HAVE YOU BOTH LOST YOUR MINDS?!"

Sam wrestled her finger back from Alexis' grasp; she hated when her mom grabbed her hand as though she were Kristina's age.

--- "Mom, Kristina was in a club, dressed older than she should have been, and drinking. It's not a shock that he believed that she was over 18 as opposed to 15. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to give you the information so that his life can be ruined because Kristina decided to lie to him."

--- "Fine, Sam, but you know what? You'd better put your PI license to some good use and investigate this guy and make sure he isn't in the habit of having sex with minor girls. If he is, I want that information."

--- "I don't have a problem with that. I actually already have Spinelli looking up some information on him to make sure that what he's told me is legit."

Alexis was relieved that at least one of her daughters were using their brains in this matter. She turned to Kristina,

--- "Sam, I need you to pick Molly up from gymnastics; I'm taking Kristina to GH right now to see Kelly; she's going to have every STD test under the sun."

--- "That's fine Mom, I'll meet you at home later tonight; I'm sure you and Kristina have a lot to discuss.

--- "Thanks, Sam, that would be great. Kristina, go get your things, and let's go."


	3. Infected

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the rights to any of these characters.

**CHAPTER THREE**

Kristina was fuming by the time she got to the car.

--- "Mom it isn't a big deal! Shit, you had Sam when you were 16, which means that clearly you were having sex when you were 15! Shoot, Sam was probably having sex much younger than I was especially since she didn't have _the most holy _Alexis Davis raising her! It isn't a wonder that I'd be having sex now, like mother, like daughter, right? At least I was smart enough not the get pregnant."

Alexis glared at her daughter before starting the car.

--- "First of all Kristina, you better watch your tone and language. Second, I suggest you not say anything for the rest of the ride. You're sincerely skating on thin ice with me. Yes, I had Sam at 16, but we're not talking about me, we're talking about you. You should NOT be having sex with anyone, let alone with a random guy you met at the club. Where is your brain?! God, do you know how many diseases are out there?! …"

Alexis continued to scream at Kristina throughout the ride to the hospital. When they arrived at Dr. Lee's office, Alexis had all about given up on saying anything more to Kristina; she was afraid that if she said anything, it would just turn into a blow out in the middle of the waiting room. Alexis wasn't about to have everyone around town knowing her family's business. Doctor Lee came out, greeted and invited Alexis and Kristina into her office.

--- "So Alexis, what's going on, you said it was urgent that I meet with you today?"

--- "Kelly, Sam discovered Kristina having sex!"

Kristina interjected, deciding to get involved in this conversation about her.

--- "Dr. Lee, my mother is probably _the_ biggest hypocrite walking this earth. She's acting as though it's the end of the world because I had sex; we all know that she had Sam at 16! You know, I don't even think that she's mad I'm having sex really, I think that she and Sam are just mad because I've been sneaking around in Sam's apartment and they just never caught me! She's been too busy jumping the sheets with Jerry Jax, being in Nikolas' business, and working all day! Sorry Mom, I guess I'm not the perfect little girl you thought I was; or better, perhaps you're not as perfect as you thought YOU were! Pity."

Alexis was shocked to hear how much hostility her little girl had against her; it seemed that she was going to end up having to repeat another mother daughter turbulent relationship. Alexis was on the verge of tears as she remembered how difficult it was for her and Sam to forge the relationship that they currently have together; she hoped that Sam would be able to help her deal with Kristina's wild antics.

Trying to hide her tears, Alexis excused herself from Dr. Lee's office.

--- "Dr. Lee, I think that it would be best if you examined Kristina without me. Um, I think that I'll just get in the way. I'll be waiting outside."

Before Dr. Lee could respond, Alexis was out the door.

Dr. Lee ran all the STD exams available, HIV test, and a pregnancy test; although the results wouldn't be in for a couple of hours, Dr. Lee was certain that Kristina had contracted Chlamydia. It broke her heart to hear how much Kristina was acting up. Alexis was a great mother, and Sam, an attentive sister; Kristina was very well loved and taken care of by her mother and sister.

--- "Kristina, I know we don't know each other very well, but I'm a friend of Sam's, and she trusts me with all her secrets as well. You can talk to me when you feel like you can't talk to your mom and sister. Since we aren't close, you could at least take comfort in the fact that I can't really judge a person I don't know. So, what's going on with you?"

--- "Nothing."

--- "Now, for a girl who has a lot going for her, I find it hard to believe that you having sex, drinking, and smoking, means that nothing is going on. Kristina, I have to tell you, I think that you might have contracted an STD. Luckily for you, this one is curable, but remember, we won't have the HIV/AIDS results for a few hours. If you continue on the path that you're going on, you will catch an STD that'll stick with you for the rest of your life."

--- "Whatever. I've heard all the safe sex and STD talks already; if I have one, then you'll just give me a prescription for it. I highly doubt that I contracted anything permanent. I know that whatever I tell you, you're just going to run and tell my mom, so why should I trust you?"

--- "Kristina, you need to be more careful, and you need to take care of yourself; you don't want to end up with a disease. I don't know what's going on with you, but you really need to take care of yourself! Now, I understand that you don't want to talk, but I hope that you reconsider and speak to somebody; you'd be shocked who you can relate with."

Kristina left Dr. Lee's examination room on the verge of tears; no one understood her.

* * *

Leaving Kristina in with Dr. Lee, Alexis called Sam. Alexis knew that her eldest daughter would be able to most relate with Kristina, and would therefore be able to provide the most insight on how to deal with her.

--- "Sam, what am I going to do with your sister?"

**--- "**You know, I'm in as much of shock as you are. I mean, I'm just sitting here thinking about how we can help her. When I was a kid, I wanted to have someone grab me, and tell me, HEY, you don't have to do this! There's better ways to deal with your problems."

--- "I know, honey. Even though you and I get along now, I can't imagine repeating another terrible relationship with another of my girls; it was hard enough the first time around, I couldn't bear to do it again. I mean, I know that teens are difficult, but it shouldn't be this hard. I think that with both of us reeling her in, we can curb this."

--- "I agree. What's going on with Dr. Lee?"

--- "Well, I had to step out of the room because I didn't want your sister to see that I was so upset; she doesn't need to see that her words have that much of an impact on me. So I gave her some privacy so that Kelly could examine and perhaps talk to Kristina. Your sister was so hostile toward me, and I don't know where it came from."

--- "Mom, I will do whatever you need me to do. Have you spoken to Sonny?"

--- "Thanks honey, I know how much you love your sister. I don't know how to deal with telling Sonny that his little girl is having sex with older men! I mean, I don't really allow Kristina to be around him because his life is too dangerous. _If_ I do say something, I will not be giving him the full story. For Kristina's sake, I hope she hasn't caught anything… hold on, Sam, I think they're done. Let me call you back."

* * *

Dr. Lee called Alexis back into the office. Kristina was in the examination room getting dressed.

--- "Alexis, I'm going to be straight with you, I think Kristina has contracted an STD. Luckily for her, its Chlamydia, so its treatable, but I'm afraid that at the rate she's going in, she'll catch something incurable. There's something going on with her that she isn't telling anyone; I think you should consider setting her up for an appointment with Lainey."

Alexis almost felt her heart rise to her throat. She thought, _"God, Chlamydia! I mean, thank goodness it isn't anything more serious, but my 15 year old contracted an STD! Shit, now I have to tell her father." _

--- "Alexis, are you alright?"

--- "Sorry, Kelly, yea, I'm fine. I guess I'm just in shock. Ok, I will call Lainey ---"

At that point, Kristina walked in.

--- "Mom, I'm NOT going to see a shrink!"

--- "Kristina, you won't talk to me---"

--- "Mom, NO! Please, I'll listen to you and Sam, whatever. I just don't want to go some shrink like some kind of freak!"

--- "Honey, calm down. We'll discuss this later. Kelly, thank you so much for your help; call my cell when the results are in. Kristina, let's go."


	4. Imprisoned

**Disclaimer****: **I do not own the rights to any of these characters.

_**Note**__**: **__Also, please note that an error may have been made in previous chapters. If it stated that Alexis and Sam did not get along up until a year or two ago, consider that mistaken. We are under the premise that the children, Sam and Kristina were young when it was discovered the Sam was Alexis' daughter. Therefore, it only makes sense to assume that Sam and Alexis have been bonding for years. So go with that. ENJOY!_

**CHAPTER FOUR**

When Sam arrived to pick Molly up from gymnastics, Molly was ecstatic to see her big sister; she ran into her arms. At eight, Molly was the baby of the Davis girls; she was such a sweet little girl. Molly was the spitting image of a young Sam; she had dark brown hair and eyes, a single dimple on her cheek, and true to Alexis' daughters' characteristics, on the petite side. When walking with Sam in the street, people often confused Molly as Sam's daughter.

--- "SAM!" Molly screamed as she ran into her sister's arms when Sam entered the gymnasium.

--- "Hi baby! Guess what!? We're spending the day together! How do you like that?"

--- "That's great! What are we going to do?"

--- "Whatever you want!"

--- "Can we… um, go to the movies, and eat popcorn, and then go to the arcade, and then go swimming?"

--- "Wow, that's a list! No problem! Get your stuff and let's get out of here!"

--- "K! I'll be right back!"

Molly adored her big sister. Unlike Kristina, Molly had never known a time when Sam wasn't her sister, and was therefore oblivious to any past animosity her sister once had with their mother. Molly was a frequent guest at Sam's apartment, and often slept with Sam when she spent the night at the lake house.

Sam and Molly spent a great day running around together. When they finally got back from swimming in the lake, Sam was exhausted. While Molly ran upstairs to shower and change, Sam relaxed on the porch chaise; within minutes, she nodded off.

Sam hadn't been asleep more than 20 minutes when Alexis and Kristina arrived arguing.

--- "Mom, seriously, you cannot tell daddy! I'll take the antibiotics, I'll see Dr. Winters, I'll listen to whatever you and Sam have to say, whatever you want!"

--- "Kristina, I cannot keep this from your father--"

--- "Why the hell not?! He's never around me anyway!--"

Alexis was about to once again scold Kristina for her tone, but Alexis noticed Sam asleep on the chair, practically baking in the hot sun; Alexis woke her up.

--- "Sam, honey, get up, you're going to get burned out here. Where's Molly?"

Sam was shocked that she had fallen asleep so quickly. She wasn't sure how long she had been asleep, but she assumed it wasn't for too long.

--- "[ahem] She's upstairs showering. That kid tires me out, but I love spending time with the little runt."

--- "Thanks again for watching her. Why don't you go lay down in your room. I'll call you when dinner arrives."

--- "No thanks necessary, she's my sister; I love spending time with her. As for sleep, the nap did me just right. What's going on, what did Kelly tell you?"

--- "Well, it seems like your sister here, has contracted Chlamydia. Kelly thinks that she should speak with Lainey Winters, but Kristina doesn't want to go."

Before Sam could respond, Molly ran out onto the porch into her mother.

--- "Mommy!"

--- "Hi, my beautiful girl! Did you have fun with Sam today?"

Alexis gave Molly a huge hug and kiss; looking at Molly was always a comfort to Alexis since she clearly must have been the spitting image of a younger Sam.

--- "Yea, we went the movies, to the arcade, and then swimming! I wish Sam could pick me up everyday!"

--- "Ah, no wonder your sister was knocked out on the couch here! Sam, Kristina, why don't you both get ready for dinner. Molly and I will order something."

Alexis gave her girls a look that meant that they would continue the conversation later on when Molly was in bed.

--- "Good idea Mom."

Sam and Kristina went upstairs to their respective rooms, leaving Alexis to bond with the littlest Davis girl.

* * *

Toweling her hair dry after her shower, Sam walked into her room to find Kristina waiting for her. She stepped into her walk in closet, found a pair of sweats and a tank, and changed into them. When she was done, she came out and sat beside Kristina on the bed.

--- "What's going on with you Kris? I'm really disappointed in you. I can't believe you're having sex, let alone having it in my bed. Do you even realize how disrespectful that is to me? You seriously violated any trust I had in you. You know that you could always talk to me about ANYTHING! So if something were bothering you, you should've known you could've come to me."

--- "I know Sam. I – I just wish that… I don't know."

--- "Kris, come on. Talk to me, we can discuss this. I'm not going to even discuss the STD thing, you should already know how I feel about that. You're drinking and smoking, Kristina; are you looking for attention?"

--- "No, I'm okay… I'm just tired of feeling like I'm on surveillance all of the time. When Dad does something, or when there's some kind of mob war going on, we have guards all over the house, following us wherever we go, waiting outside of school. Then Mom, she's always busy; she's never here. When she finally gets home, she's exhausted, or I'm asleep, and there isn't much time to talk. I just wanted a regular life."

--- "Kristina, I understand how all that could cause you to act out, but its been a few months since you had guards on you. Mom has kept your visitations with Sonny limited because his life is too dangerous. And you know how hard Mom tries to be around. Even though her job keeps her busy, she's always here on the weekends with you girls…"

Before Sam could continue, Alexis, dressed in sweats, knocked and entered Sam's room.

--- "Sam, honey, are you up? Oh Kristina, I thought you were in your room. Can you go help your sister make a salad and set the table, the food will arrive in a few minutes."

--- "Sure Mom."

Kristina left the room. Alexis lounged on Sam's bed.

--- "UUUUGH... Sam, let's get off this topic for a few minutes. First of all, it always warms my heart to see you home. I love it when my three beautiful girls are under one roof."

It always made Sam happy to hear how much Alexis loved having her home. Sam had always wanted motherly love, and now she was a part of a family. She smiled at her mother.

--- "Thanks Mom, its always great to know that I don't have to pay to do my laundry, when I can just come home and get it done for me for free here. I mean, since I've got my closet here and at home stocked with clothes, I just swap out the dirty clothes for the clean ones! Then the next time I come over, I know that miraculously everything will be clean and laundered. I love that!"

--- "Ah! So that's how your hamper gets filled! I always thought that was strange. Ha Ha!"

Alexis obviously always knew that Sam came over each week, and dumped her dirty laundry from home in her hamper for her mother to wash for her. In fact, Alexis was sure that Sam's bedsheets were sitting in the hamper waiting to be thrown in the wash. Alexis didn't mind doing her eldest daughter's laundry, it was the least she could do for her.

--- "Well hey, as my mom, you owe me a lifetime of free laundry service!"

Alexis reached over and ran her hand through Sam's hair

--- "Yea, well, I suppose you're right. And I gladly do it."

--- "Sam, I need a distraction, tell me about your love life… what's going on with you and Lucky? Do you think that you'll ever get together again?"

--- "Oh gosh, my love life? Yea, that's completely non-existent at the moment. I'm just too busy to date, I guess; I'm always working or out on a case. I just don't have the time. My bed is cold! That's why I'm always here, I've got no life right now."

--- "Oh, no! I've created a monster! Sam, you are a workaholic!"

--- "Pot, meet kettle!"

--- "Hey, I never denied I was one! I would just hate for you to not get out more. You're only 29, enjoy the last drop of your twenties!"

--- "And then its downhill from there, Mom? Ha Ha!"

Alexis hit Sam with a pillow for that comment.

--- "Hey, hey, I'm only 45, I think I look pretty damned good for my age, especially for dealing with 3 nut-job kids!"

--- "Yea, you're beautiful, you just have that knack for the deranged!"

At that, Sam was up and out of the room before Alexis could smack her with another pillow.

* * *

Dinner went along smoothly. As usual, Alexis ordered from the Metro Court. Molly chatted away about her day with Sam, and although Alexis, Sam and Kristina were all antsy about the conversation they would soon be having, they indulged the youngest Davis in her conversation.

--- "Molly, you haven't told mommy how great of a swimmer you've become. Perhaps you can teach her how to? Wouldn't you like that Mom?!"

Sam always teased Alexis over the fact that she was afraid of water. She always laughed at the fact that her mother purchased the Lake House when she could not stand to go near the lake.

--- "Thanks Sam, but I'm quite content staying away from the lake. I think that I'd sooner eat bugs than get into water."

--- "Well, Mommy, if you don't like the water, why did you buy this house?"

--- "That's a great question, sweetheart! Perhaps your ingrate sister would be willing to tell you!? Sam?"

Alexis smiled at Sam. Sam knew Alexis purchased the house when she found out that Sam was her daughter. Sam had been healing from her gun shot wound, and Jason had just broken up with her. Alexis wanted to have all her girls under one roof together, but knew that her apartment was much too small to accommodate all of them, so she purchased the lake house.

--- "Well, Molly, our Mommy here is very caring and generous. Even though she hates the water, she bought the house hoping that I would move in when I got out of the hospital. Then, when she got me to move in, Mom took excellent care of me until I was feeling much better."

Alexis was all smiles. Sam was so good with Molly. Watching them interact was incredibly sweet. Despite their past issues, including Sam sleeping with her mother's ex-husband, Molly's dad, Ric Lansing, mother and daughter became close over the years.

--- "Alright, this was a great dinner. Molly, have you finished all of your homework?"

--- "Almost."

--- "Ok, well, why don't you get it done, and I'll be up to check on you in about an hour."

--- "K."

* * *

Now that dinner was over, it was time for Alexis, Sam and Kristina to discuss the gigantic rainbow colored elephant in the room. Alexis began the discussion:

--- "Kristina, what's going on? You're having sex, you smoke, you drink, and now you've contracted an STD. Are you aware that at the rate you're going, you will end up with something worse than Chlamydia?"

--- "Mom, I'm so tired of being asked what's going on, and is everything alright with me! I'm FINE! I'm just a regular teenager! SHIT, why can't you just leave me alone?! "

It was Sam's turn to interject,

--- "Kristina, you need to relax. We know that you're a teenager, but you have no right to talk to Mom like that; watch your mouth and show some respect."

Sam was shocked by the fact that she just repeated a line that her mother demanded of her many times before: _Show some respect_. Wasn't that the thing her mother had said to her right before she slept with Ric all those years ago? Alexis, on the other hand, was proud that her eldest daughter was coming to her defense; it was clear that Sam had grown up in the past few years.

--- "You know what, Sam, I don't know why you're being so uptight about this! I KNOW that you were wild up until a few years ago! God, Sam, you slept with Uncle Ric while he was married to Mom! So please don't talk to me now about how I should have respect! Don't be such a damn hypocrite."

Alexis and Sam were shocked that Kristina knew about Sam's horrible indiscretion with Molly's father. After all they did to overcome that mistake, Alexis was angry with Kristina for bringing that up.

--- "Kristina Adela Davis Corinthos ---"

Sam put her hand on Alexis' knee as her mother was about to rise and approach Kristina; Sam interrupted her.

--- "No, Mom, its ok, she's right; I _am_ being a hypocrite.

--- "But Sam ---"

Sam ignored her mom's interjection.

--- "Yea Kristina, I made a _very_ bad mistake that hurt Mom deeply. I don't even have an excuse for what I did, because you know what, there was no excuse for it. No matter how badly Mom and I argued, regardless of anything that she told me to hurt my feelings, I had NO RIGHT to get drunk and sleep with Ric. To this day, I am truly sorry for my actions, and quite frankly disgusted with myself. The fact that Mom has forgiven me for what I've done is an indication of her character, and for that I am so grateful. But you know what, Kristina, the difference between you and I is I've learned from my actions! Kristina, from the moment I slept with Ric, I vowed that I would NEVER hurt Mom like that again. I've lived by that promise, at least I hope that I have."

Alexis' face was filled with fallen tears; she whispered,

--- "Sam, you have no idea how right you are."

Sam smiled at her mother, and continued,

--- "I _was _a wild child, but let me tell you, Kristina, I was an unhappy child. When I was 10, my father taught me how to pull cons. At night, when he passed out drunk, I snuck out of the house and went to the clubs to party, drink, and smoke. I was having sex at a very young age with grown men, and getting paid for it. By the grace of God, I didn't catch any permanent STDs. Then, one day my father disappeared, leaving me to take care of my brother Danny. I used everything that he taught me about conning to steal money, and when I was old enough, to marry rich men; that was my living. Eventually, when one of the men realized what I had been doing to him, he beat me within an inch of my life.

I know that Mom and Sonny haven't taught you to run cons, but you're basically heading down the same path as I did. You're going to clubs, like me, dressing older than you should be, finding older guys, and having sex with them. You're smoking and drinking, and carrying on like there's nothing wrong with it. Kristina, you can't keep living like this; I did it, and I was _miserable_. Even after my brother was in the special school he needed to be in, I still conned men, partied and drank. If was so hard to get out of the habit when I had been doing it for years. After years of living wildly, and doing whatever I could for money, I became untrustworthy; nobody could trust whether I was being truthful or not. God, the more I think about it, the more I can't blame Mom for not having trusted me for some time. Come on, Kristina, do you really want to have that kind of relationship with us, one in which we cannot trust you? Because, let me tell you, it isn't fun."

Kristina had no response for her sister; she just rolled her eyes. Noticing this, Alexis decided it was time for some much deserved tough love.

--- "Sam' s right. Kristina, I understand that you're a teenager, but that doesn't give you the right to disrespect me, and it certainly doesn't give you the right to disrespect your sister. You have abused the freedom that I've given you; you will no longer have that luxury. Kristina, I will be DAMNED if you contract a worse disease than Chlamydia, not on MY watch. I don't want you to end up with HIV like Robin. I love you too much than to allow you to go down this path and ruin your life. Now, I don't care if for the next few years you hate me; I've lived through that before, I can do it again.

Now, here are the new rules you _will _follow. **First**, you will not have a key to Sam's apartment. You lost her trust the moment you decided to defile her bed by having sex in it. **Secondly**, you are not allowed to be in this house or in Sam's apartment by yourself. I can no longer trust you, and therefore, you can't be trusted to be home when you are supposed to. **Third**, you've lost your bedroom door. For obvious reasons, you have lost your right to privacy in this house. **Fourth**, after school, you will come to either my office or to Sam's, she and I will discuss the details about that later on. **Fifth, **you will go to counseling with Lainey Winters. **Sixth**, you will not be able to use your cell phone to call anyone but Sam or me; if you check your phone, you will notice that I've already taken care of your plan. Finally, **Seventh**, you are just plain grounded, indefinitely. You cannot go out, you cannot party, you cannot hang with friends, you cannot shop. Your life, Kristina, until you can regain our trust, will consist strictly of school and home, and anywhere Sam or I bring you. Am I understood?"

--- "Yes ma'am."

Alexis had never punished Kristina like this before. Kristina was shocked by her mother's strictness. She supposed that this is what it life was like for Sam when she was on Alexis' bad side. Even Sam was dumbfounded by Alexis' stern demeanor, but she was going to follow through with everything and anything that was asked of her.

With that, she got on the phone. Within 15 minutes, Jax was at the door with his maintenance men from the Metro Court; Kristina's bedroom door was taken off the hinges.


	5. Chores

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any rights to any of the characters in the story.

**Note: **Slight change indicated in bold.

**CHAPTER 5**

When Kristina was sent to bed, curiously at the same time as Molly, Sam and Alexis stayed up discussing a schedule, and how they would go about having Kristina supervised at all times. Both women were determined at any cost to keep Kristina from repeating Sam's mistakes.

--- "Ok, first of all, Mom, you were absolutely brilliant. All this time you didn't know what you were going to do about Kristina, and out of nowhere, you throw out seven rules. That was amazing."

Alexis was pretty shocked herself, by how stern she got, and how quickly she came up with those rules for Kristina. It's amazing how a mother's anger and love combined could create such punishments. She got up and grabbed a bottle of wine, and poured two glasses full, handing one to Sam.

--- "You know, honey, it just came out of nowhere. I was just so furious by the way she thought that she could speak to us that all I saw was red. I mean, really, throwing Ric in there? How did she even know about that?!"

--- "Well, she was always a smart kid, so its not shocking that she found out. Not to mention that the whole town practically knows, so I can only imagine that in a few years, Molly will find out about it herself."

Alexis realized that Sam was right; she hoped that Molly wouldn't react the way that Kristina just did. Alexis just sighed. Sam saw her mother's mind spinning, so she decided to keep the conversation going.

--- "Amazing, absolutely amazing! Cheers!"

Mother and daughter clinked glasses.

--- "So, how are we going to do this?"

--- "Ok, I'll take her to school everyday, rather than allowing her to take the bus with her friends. Also, she does have extracurricular activities, but I need to make sure that they're still meeting, and that she's still a part of the them. When I take her in tomorrow, I'll let the principle know which activities she can still participate."

--- "Great, and seeing as I make my own schedule, I can pick her up from school everyday, and have her stay with me in my office until you can pick her up after work or come here with me when I'm here for dinner or the night."

--- "That'll work. I also think that we need to have her speak with Robin Scorpio about her HIV status. Kristina needs to understand that this is real. She's already got one STD, but she needs to meet someone who may eventually die from hers. God, Sam, where did I go wrong with her?!"

--- "Mom, you didn't do anything wrong. I think its obvious that no matter what you could've done, she was bound to make these mistakes. At her age Mom, you were pregnant with me, I was conning men, and now, she's sneaking out and having sex with grown men. I think it's obvious that other than interesting childhoods, and I say that _incredibly _loosely, the Davis girls have a wild side to them."

Alexis scoffed,

--- "So are you telling me that sweet Molly has a wild side brewing inside _her_?!"

--- "Well, not necessarily. Look, growing up, you and I were both mistreated, Kristina feels as though she's been neglected --- "

--- "Sam, I hope you aren't blaming me for this."

--- "NO! Of course not! I'm just saying that she told me that she feels has though she's constantly on surveillance by Sonny's men whenever there's a mob war. Then, she feels as though she doesn't see you enough because you're always working. So, I don't know if this was just a bunch of nonsense made up to play the sympathy card, or if she really feels this way. So, I think that in regard to Molly, we need to make sure to have her know that no matter what, we're always there for her; we need to be more vocal about it."

* * *

Kristina was beyond livid by the fact that her mother had her bedroom door taken down. She began tossing things all over her exposed room._ "What a bitch!" _Kristina thought, _"God, I cannot believe her!"_ Kristina walked over to her computer, turned it on, and soon realized that her mother had her computer installed with a parent control feature on it which blocked all sites unless approved by her mother's main computer. _"God, this bitch wants me to just die up here alone! When did she even get this good at computers! God I hate her!"_

Alexis seemed to have thought of everything in regard to limiting her daughter's freedom. She even had the locks removed from Kristina's walk in closet and her side of the adjoining bathroom. There was no point in attempting to escape through the window since she had Rose bushes with thorns directly outside; dropping into a Rose bush and cut by the thorns was not an appealing option.

Kristina resigned herself to her punishment until she could think of a way to get out of her mother's clutches. She changed into her pajamas, and got into bed. Within a few minutes, she was fast asleep. She didn't realize when Alexis came into her room and gave her a goodnight kiss.

* * *

The next morning, an hour earlier than normal, Alexis walked into Kristina's room, pulled the blinds up, and woke her daughter up.

--- "Kristina, its time for you to get up."

Kristina, looking at her clock, was extremely annoyed.

--- "Moooommy, it's 6 o'clock in the morning! I don't have to be up until 7!"

--- "Nope, you have chores to do. You need to iron everyone's clothes for the day, unload the dishwashed, and fix the beds."

--- "Mom, are you friggin kidding me right now?! First you're keeping me locked in this damn house like Fort Knox, you take the my door out, take the locks off of all my other doors, and now you expect me to play freaking Cinderella in this house? That's not happening."

Alexis knew that her daughter would be resistant to the idea, so she decided a better approach was necessary. Alexis calmly walked to the side of the bed in closest reach of her sassy 15 year old and gently said,

--- "Kristina, if you don't get yourself out of this bed right this minute, I will drag you out. Either way, you're getting up and you'll do as I say."

For someone who rejected the Cassidine blood, Alexis had the Cassidine ice-cold stare and voice down, and it scared the crap out all of her kids. The voice was very calm, perhaps too calm, and Alexis didn't blink when she mad a request of her children in such a fashion; this was how she got Sam to tell her Jeff's age. The calmness of her demeanor was unnerving and intimidating.

Alexis had been on a different realm with Kristina since last night; she became the ice princess. Kristina seeing a change in her mother's attitude toward her didn't want to disobey for fear of what Alexis might do. She got out of the bed and did as her mother requested.

When Kristina got downstairs, Alexis was talking to Viola about the new rules set in place for Kristina.

--- "… she's also not to have any visitors, talk on the phone, use the computer for something other than her schoolwork, or go out. Now, I'm just letting you know this just in case neither Sam nor I are able to pick her up from school, and you are in charge. Oh yea, she is not allowed to take the bus anymore, she must be driven in and picked up from school…"

_Oh brother_, Kristina thought. She thought that she would be able at least get away from the Ice Queen and Princess by riding on the school bus, but it seemed that apart from school, she would be spending every waking moment with them. While Sam was a better of the two options, Kristina still wanted some semblance of freedom.

Kristina walked into the kitchen to find Sam and Molly chatting happily over bacon and eggs at the kitchen table. They both looked up when they saw Kristina enter.

--- "Good morning, Kristina," Sam said cheerily. "I made bacon and eggs. There's a plate made for you right here."

--- "Thanks. I see your clothes are freshly ironed. I hope you enjoy them."

Sam knew that her sister was in a snippy mood and a battle was about to ensue in the kitchen. She didn't want Molly involved.

--- "Molly, sweety, I think its time for you to get ready for school. Hurry up, I'll drive you."

--- "Great!"

When Molly was out of the room, Sam got the morning dishes together and started loading them into the dishwasher.

--- "You know, Kris, catching attitude is not going to get you out of this mess. Don't get mad and annoyed at everyone when you're the reason you're in this mess in the first place. Now, you need to eat your breakfast so that you can take your antibiotics."

--- "Sam, I don't even care what you have to say. I _thought_ you'd be on my side, but instead you took Mom's. Like I said, I think you're a hypocrite because you did far worse things than I'm doing when you were my age, _and then some_, but now you're on some sort of high horse because you decided that you would grow up and don't want to disappoint _Mommy_. Sam, I'm not some con-woman, stealing money from rich guys! I'm a regular American teenager who just wants to have fun. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but we're not as alike as you would like to believe."

--- "Ok, you know what, I'm not even going to bother arguing with you about this. You made your bed, now lie in it, just don't forget the penicillin."

Sam walked out of the kitchen; she was tired of her sister taking her frustrations out on her. Sam also knew that her Kristina didn't mean what she said, but she couldn't help but be hurt at the thought that Kristina believed her to still be a con-woman.

When Sam walked into the living room and flopped down onto the couch across from her mother who noticed that Sam was in a foul mood. Alexis, with her glasses on the tip of her nose, looked up from her file at her eldest daughter.

--- "What's wrong with you?"

--- "Ugh! I don't know how you dealt with me the first couple of years, because if Kristina is anything like I was, I'm even more sorry than I was before! She's constantly on the defensive. I can't stand it."

Alexis had to laugh because Sam was _still _that way! If Alexis said anything that seemed off-putting to her eldest daughter, Sam automatically was on the defense; the only difference between Sam and Kristina was that Sam was a grown woman, and Kristina is a hormonal teenager. While Sam had calmed down some throughout the years, this was just both of her daughters' attitudes. Alexis didn't bother responding because she knew that any comment would turn into an argument, so she took her glasses off, closed her file, and walked into the kitchen to talk to Kristina.

--- "Good Morning honey. What happened between you and Sam?"

--- "Hi Mom," Alexis could feel the resentment emanating from Kristina. "She's just being a total know-it-all bitch."

Kristina made no effort to neither curb her attitude or filter her language.

--- "Ok, Kristina, I already told you about that; first, you need to watch your language when talking to me, and second you need to respect your sister because she loves you and is sincerely worried about you. She isn't trying to be a know-it-all, she's just trying to protect you from repeating the same mistakes she made. I won't tolerate you shooting at the mouth just because you're upset. Get over it, the rules are staying as they are, and you'll follow them."

Kristina rolled her eyes,

--- "And what if I don't? You'll kick me out?"

--- "Kristina, I won't kick you out, but know that I will make your life more miserable than you think it is right now. If I have to treat you like a common criminal, I will. I like to separate my work from home, but if you keep acting up, I will merge the two against you. Now clean up, and get showered and ready for school."

* * *

Kristina was getting more and more angry by the minute; she could not stay in this house another minute. She figured that living with Sonny would be a better arrangement than staying with her bitch mother. Kristina decided that once her mother and sister were out of sight, she would grab one of the car keys lying around, and get to her father's house.


	6. Escape

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to any of these characters.

**CHAPTER SIX**

Kristina snuck up the back steps into her room. She ran into her bathroom and started the shower and turned on the radio full blast, as was her normal routine. She walked out of the bathroom and grabbed her schoolbag from her desk. Kristina then ran into her closet, dumped her schoolbooks inside her hamper and grabbed some clothes and stuffed them into bag. She reached inside a shoebox in the back of the closet for her stash of marijuana, and stuffed that into her bag as well. She then grabbed a sweat suit, and quickly changed into them.

Stepping out of the closet, Kristina checked down the hall to see if her mother or sister were in sight, and tiptoed back down the back steps. When she made it into the living room, neither Alexis nor Sam were present, but she could hear their voices upstairs. Kristina noticed Sam's bag on the coffee table, her mother's purse on the dining room table, and both sets of car keys were available. Moving quickly, she grabbed her sister's wallet and took all the cash out, $120 to be exact. Then she grabbed her mother's purse, found her wallet, and found that her mother had only a $20 bill in there; she took that too.

While Kristina was putting Alexis' wallet back, she heard someone coming down the steps. She grabbed the closest set of keys and quickly, but quietly stepped out of the house. She looked at the keys when she got to the two cars in the driveway, and got into Alexis' car, and drove off.

* * *

Molly hated sharing a bathroom with Kristina. She really had to pee, but whenever her sister was in the shower, she always locked her adjoining door. Molly pounded on the door, but Kristina didn't answer. Molly ran to Alexis' room where she was getting ready for work. Molly ran past her mother and into the bathroom. Alexis thought it was strange that Molly was using her bathroom, since she clearly had her own. She knocked on the bathroom door.

--- "Molly, honey, are you okay?"

Molly flushed the toilet, washed her hands, and was out of the bathroom.

--- "Kristina's hogging the bathroom again, and I really had to pee!"

Alexis looked at her watch; it was 7:30, why was Kristina still in the shower when they had to leave in 15 minutes?

--- "Honey, what was Kristina doing in the bathroom?"

--- "She was in the shower and the music was blasting, as usual."

Alexis walked toward Kristina's room, and knocked on the bathroom door.

--- "Kristina, its time to get out of the shower, its 7:30 and you're going to be late for school. --- Kristina, do you hear me?"

Alexis opened the bathroom door, and turned down the music.

--- "Kristina, you really shouldn't blast the music like that. It's time to get out of the shower; you're going to be late for school."

Alexis was getting annoyed because she was sure that Kristina was just ignoring her. Without pulling the curtain open, she reached through shut the water off.

--- "I'm getting tired of your attitude, young lady, get out of the shower, and get dressed for school."

There was still no response. Alexis pulled back the curtain, and realized that Kristina wasn't in there. "_Shit."_

Alexis called for Kristina throughout the house, but to no avail. Sam was getting dressed for work when she heard her mother calling out for Kristina. As Alexis was about to knock on Sam's door, Sam opened it.

--- "Mom, what's going on? Is Kristina missing?"

--- "I think she ran away! I can't find her anywhere! Shit, I shouldn't have been so harsh with her! God, where the hell could she have gone?"

Sam noticed the fear in Alexis' face, and tried her best to console her.

--- "Ok, calm down, we don't know if Kristina ran off yet, did you check downstairs yet?"

--- "No, not yet. Ok, let me check. In the meantime, can you drive Molly to school, she's going to be late."

--- "Yea, sure, I'll be right back... Molly! Come on, its time to go to school."

While walking to the driveway, Sam noticed that her mother's car was gone. "_Shit." _ She grabbed her cell and called Alexis.

--- "Mom, she took your car."

--- "DAMNIT! Sam, wait for me, we'll search for her after we drop Molly off."

Alexis was sprinting towards Sam's car in less than 30 seconds.

--- "Hi, this is Alexis Davis, D.A., please put a search out for a silver 2008 Mercedes Benz, license plate XX5 123. --- No, I do not want to report the car stolen --- Look put Commissioner Scorpion on the phone. ---- Mac, Alexis. Listen I need a favor, please put a search on my car --- No, its not stolen, technically. --- Damnit Mac, will you just do me this favor? When the car is spotted, have your men call me. --- Thank you."

Alexis slammed her phone shut and strapped her seatbelt on. Molly noticed that her mother was upset, and Sam was extra quiet.

--- "Mommy, is Kristina missing?"

--- "Oh, no baby, don't worry about it. Sam and I will take care of this. Just enjoy your day at school. Viola will pick you up and take you to soccer."

--- "So then where's your car?"

--- "Um, let's not discuss that, ok honey."

Molly hated when her mother treated her like a baby. Molly knew that something was going on, and it was infuriating that she was never really in the know about anything.

* * *

Kristina sped down the pathway to her father's house. She pulled the car into the driveway, and got out. She noticed Jason's bike, her father's car, and another car she was unfamiliar with in the driveway. _"Damn, I'm not even in the mood to deal with Jason." _

Kristina walked up to the front door, and rang the bell. Max opened the door.

--- "Hi Kristina, what are you doing here? Did your mother bring you?"

Max asked, looking behind Kristina to see if he could see Alexis.

--- "Um, no Max. --- er, my mom, um, dropped me off. She had to go."

Max was getting suspicious.

--- "But, don't you have school today? Why would Ms. Davis drop you off here. She hasn't allow you to be here for months, since Michael was shot."

--- "Yea well, here I am. Is my dad home?"

--- "Yea, but he's in a meeting right now. He doesn't want to be disturbed."

--- "Look Max, I don't really care what he said, I want to see MY DAD!"

Kristina pushed through past Max toward the living room. Being the self-absorbed teen she was, Kristina was oblivious to the heated argument that had been going on inside.

--- "Jason, are you telling me that Claudia put the hit out that caused Michael to be shot!? Now you're telling me that you think she purposely got pregnant so that I won't take her out? ---"

Claudia Zaccharra jumped in before Jason could respond.

--- "Sonny, he's lying! I don't know why he would say something so cruel about me; I would NEVER shoot a kid! Come on Sonny, what would I have had to gain by doing that?!"

--- "PAYBACK! I kept your brother in a padded cell for days when I thought that he had something to do with Michael's disappearance. You may not have been aiming for my son, but you definitely caused the shot to be taken when he was in the warehouse with me!"

Just then, Kristina burst into the living room,

--- "Daddy, I CANNOT live with Mom ANYMORE!"

Sonny, while happy to see his little girl, was shocked to see his only daughter in his home at that time of day, and without Alexis present. He knew something was up.

--- "Jason, keep finding more information for me. Claudia, you better hope that you covered your bases. Leave, I need to talk to my daughter."

Claudia and Jason left the father and daughter alone. Sonny missed Kristina; it had been months since he was alone with her. Every time he saw Kristina, his heart melted. He walked over to her, and gave her the most loving hug and kiss.

--- "Hi sweetheart, what's the matter?"

--- "Daddy, Mom is being totally _unfair! _Plus, she's got Sam on her side, so nobody will listen to anything I say, and I just want to live with you because I know that you'll listen to me!"

--- "Honey, slow down, you're not making any sense. What is it that your mother is being unfair about?"

--- "Well, Sam told her that I was in her apartment stealing clothes and drinking her booze, which is completely untrue! Daddy, I don't even like the taste of alcohol, it makes me nauseous! And, I bet you that Sam is the one that was drinking her own stuff, because we all know she can be a total lush."

Sonny just listened to his daughter talk. While he had a soft spot for her, and most times Kristina had him wrapped around her little finger, Sonny knew that he had to take much of what she was recounting to him with a grain of salt. He knew that Sam would never tell Alexis anything untrue about her sister because she absolutely adore Kristina.

--- "Sam gave me a set of her keys because she claimed I was always welcome at her place anytime. One day, I went to Sam's place and borrowed a few things because there was this school dance I wanted to go to and Sam had a really cute outfit. Well, I went to the dance a few days later, but there were kids smoking outside, and drinking. Somebody must have spilled a drink on me without my having realized it, and the smoke smell must have gotten on the clothes, because now Sam and Mom are accusing me drinking and smoking! So now, Sam keeps talking to me about how she doesn't want me to become like she was as a teen, and Mom is listening to her and getting all sentimental because she still feels bad that she didn't raise her, and Mom grounded me. Daddy, she took my _bedroom door_! I can't live like that!"

Sonny thought that was strange. He never heard of a parent taking a kid's door! But, he also knew that Alexis would never go so far as to punish Kristinain such an unconventional way unless there was a justified reason. _"Who takes a bedroom door for nothing!? Alexis can be crazy, she is a Cassidine after all, but that's not something she would do lightly." _

--- "Kristina, I'm having a hard time understanding your story. You're telling me that because you borrowed your sister's clothes, went to a dance where some kids were smoking and drinking, Alexis and Sam think that you're getting wild? Ok, first things first, how did you even get here?"

--- "Um, I have my learner's permit! Mom let's me drive the car."

--- "Ok, now I know you're lying---"

Just then, Alexis burst into the living room with Sam right behind her. While frantically searching for Kristina, Max called Alexis and let her know that Kristina was at the house. Alexis grabbed Kristina by the arm.

--- "I swear to God Kristina, you are in SO MUCH TROUBLE! I CANNOT believe you stole my car, and not to mention money from your sister's wallet! Have you LOST your mind?! You could've been killed! WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?!"

Sonny was shocked; he had never seen Alexis so furious with Kristina. Alexis looked as though she was going to rip Kristina's head off.

--- "Alexis, what's going on? Kristina was just telling me that you took her door?"

--- "Clearly Daddy's little girl must've failed to mention the many reasons for her loss of her right to privacy."

Alexis reached in her bag and tossed Sonny Kristina's antibiotics. Sonny was confused.

--- "What are these for?"

--- "Kristina, why don't you tell Daddy what those are?"

_Shit. Think, Kristina, Think._

--- "They're antibiotics..."

--- "Why are you taking antibiotics?"

--- "Um... for-- for an infection, Daddy."

Alexis rolled her eyes at her daughter. Sam just shook her head and tried to stifle a laugh.

--- "Sonny, the infection our daughter has is a little thing called _CHLAMYDIA_. It seems that Kristina, here, has been using Sam's apartment as her sex room."

Sonny glared at his daughter.

--- "KRISTINA ADELLA DAVIS CORINTHOS, YOU ARE 15 YEARS OLD! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HAVING SEX?! AND YOU HAVE MANAGED TO CONTRACT CHLAMYDIA IN THE PROCESS?!"

Kristina was shocked, her father never screamed at her.

--- "Daddy, I was just curious! The kids at school were calling me a goody goody because I do so well, and my mother is the District Attorney ---"

--- "Cut the bull, Kristina! Who's this boy you got the STD from? I want to know his name RIGHT THIS MINUTE!"

Alexis interjected. She was not about to let Sonny know that this _boy_ was a fully grown _man._ Also, she wasn't even certain that Kristina had only been with one guy, she may have been with countless others.

--- "Sonny, it doesn't matter who this kid is. The more pressing matter is that Kristina is clearly having sex, she's drinking, and she's smoking. I took her door because she clearly cannot handle some forms of independence, and must therefore be supervised at all times. Sam and I are going to monitor her, and always have her in our sights. –"

--- "Yea, that clearly worked well for you seeing as she STOLE YOUR CAR, ALEXIS! You aren't watching her enough, ALEXIS, that's why she's acting out! I want this kid's information."

--- "Sonny, first of all, don't try to blame this on me! You know damned well that I love my children, and this had nothing to do with my job. As for the boy's information, I already told you that you're not getting that information... I'm not going to be responsible for what you do to him. Kristina is NOT going to be sneaking out of the house again. I'm having alerts put throughout the house that tell me when the front and back doors are opened, so she won't be able to leave without me knowing. I already told her that I have no problems treating her like a common criminal if she forces my hand. Kristina will be going to counseling with Lainey Winters. Sonny, I'm sorry you had to find out this way; I was definitely going to tell you myself, once I figured out how. Kristina, give me my car keys, we're leaving."

Alexis didn't wait for Sonny to respond, she was tired of him acting as though everything that went wrong with Kristina was her fault. He never bothered to see his daughter, so he really had no place to tell her how to raise her. As for Kristina, there was no point staying with her father now that he knew what was happening and didn't even bother fighting for her. Kristina handed her mother the keys, and walked out.


	7. Saved

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of these characters.

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Alexis and Kristina drove home in silence. Kristina felt sick to her stomach and could not wait to get to the house so that she could lie down. Sonny had not even fought for her. Not once did Sonny tell her mother, _"No, Alexis, clearly she's too much for you to handle, why don't you let me take her?" _ Sonny never fought for her as he did for Michael and Morgan.

When they finally arrived back at the Lake House, Kristina walked up the steps to her room. She went into her closet and removed the clothes from her schoolbag. Instead of going back out into her bedroom, she sat on the floor in her closet and ruffled through the show boxes until she found what she was looking for: a bottle of gin taken from her sister's collection. She took a few swigs of the strong liquor, feeling it go smoothly down her throat; she loved the way it felt. As she was about to reach for another box of goodies, Alexis entered the room.

--- "Kristina, where are you?"

Kristina began to panic. She scrambled to put the bottle back in its hiding space before her mother found her in her closet.

--- "Um, one second Mom." She called from inside the closet.

Alexis heard the shuffling around in the closet, and became suspicious.

--- "Kristina, what's going on in there?"

--- "_Shit!" _Kristina thought, _"what am I going to tell her when she asks me what I was doing in here!?" _All of a sudden, she got an idea.

--- "Um, nothing. Just give me a second. I'm --- I'm getting undressed! I need to take a shower."

Alexis was not entirely convinced Kristina was telling the truth, but she decided to let it go rather than barging into the closet, and embarrassing her daughter if she was in fact telling the truth.

Kristina emerged 30 seconds later wearing her bathrobe.

--- "What is it Mom?"

--- "Well, I thought that we should talk about what happened this morning."

--- "What's there to discuss? Daddy is as disgusted with me as you are. Now he has more of a reason not to see me."

Alexis was shocked; she was not disgusted with her. She took in the stunning presence her daughter had, the look that all three of her girls possessed: an olive colored complexion, dark brown loosely curled hair resembling the finest silk, tear drop shaped dark brown eyes, and a fit petite stature, which Alexis never understood seeing as she was 5'8. Kristina was absolutely beautiful, and that was what made it more difficult for Alexis to understand. This beautiful girl was on the path to ruining her life, and Alexis had no way to stop it. She took a deep sigh,

--- "Kristina, I'm not disgusted by you in the least bit! I'm just worried about you. I just --- I want to understand you. I want to help you with whatever it is that's going on with you… I'm afraid for you, honey… I don't think you understand just how much I love you… My heart – it's breaking. I don't want to see you destroy yourself any further. By having sex with random guys, especially older guys, you are risking your health more than you even know. I'm also worried that by sending naked pictures of yourself with your phone, you'll end up with a criminal record for trafficking child pornography. At the rate you're going, Kristina, you will end up in jail, and there will be nothing I can do to save you."

"_God, couldn't she just talk like a person for once? I'm not a fucking client." _Kristina looked her mother straight in the eyes and replied,

--- "Who said I _wanted _to be saved?"

She walked into the bathroom to take her shower, leaving her mother standing there stunned.

* * *

Sonny didn't care what Alexis had to say, he was going to find the boy who gave his 15 year old daughter Chlamydia, he was going to find out what club in the town was letting his 15 year old daughter drink, and he was going to find out who sold his little girl pot and cigarettes. As soon as Kristina and Alexis left, Sonny called Jason's freak boy and demanded that he get over to his house immediately.

Spinelli arrived at Sonny's house out of breath shortly thereafter.

--- "Mr. Sir, the Jackal is here at your assistance!"

Sonny could not stand this kid, but he knew that he was the best, and would therefore garner fast results.

--- "I need you to find out exactly who has been supplying my daughter with drugs and alcohol, and I want to know who gave her an STD. Can you handle that?"

--- "Why yes, Mr. Sir, it appears that the Jackal has already explored some evildoers who have attempted to corrupt the innocence of this fair town!"

--- "Well, have you found out anything?"

--- "Um, the Jackal must regretfully deny Mr. Sir any access to such information procured as a result of his cyberspace prowess."

Sonny was losing his patience.

--- "What the hell did you just say?"

Spinelli took a deep breath and repeated what he had just said in a hopefully more fluid manner.

--- "The Jackal is otherwise precluded from divulging any information with Mr. Sir in regard to the evil suppliers of the devil's juice and garden variety in this good town."

--- "Let me get this right, FREAK BOY, you can't give me any information on the people who are supplying young kids in this town with liquor and drugs? Is that what you're telling me?"

Spinelli was getting nervous.

--- "That is correct."

Fearing that his further presence would result in giving up vital information for which he was forbidden to speak, Spinelli began walking towards the door. Before he left, Sonny stopped him.

--- "And who is stopping you from giving me this information?"

--- "Fair Samantha and the Mother of the Goddess."

Sonny felt his blood begin to boil. It was bad enough that Alexis continued to keep him away from his daughter, but now when he wanted to help get rid of the idiots who were supplying her with drugs and alcohol, but both Alexis and Sam were attempting to stand in his way. He throw his glass of scotch into the wall.

* * *

Kristina stood underneath the hot shower for a long time. Letting the water hit her face, she began to sob as all these thoughts came to mind.

"_God, nobody understands me! Mom, when she isn't at the office all day, is throwing SAT prep books at me, expecting me to get a perfect score. God, she expects me to be perfect all of the time: president of the sophomore class, president of the honor society, straight A's, perfect attendance. I CAN'T TAKE IT! Rather than seeing that disappointed look at the fact that her daughter is not as perfect as she is, I'd rather fail miserably and have her not have such high expectations of me. Shit, isn't that what Sam did? _

_In some ways, Sam's lucky; Mom didn't raise her, so when she found out that the perfect Alexis Davis, who overcame adversity as a result of a psychotic upbringing in the Cassidine household, was her mother, Sam already knew she could never rise up to mom's greatness, and Mom knew what kind of daughter she had. Sam knew that she wasn't Mom 's ideal choice for a daughter, but look at their relationship now! They're so close, and Mom seems to accept Sam for who she is, disappointments and all. Sam has no pressure to please Mom. I want that._

_God, I hate being Sonny Corinthos' daughter! What kid my age wants to date me?! Nobody! Guys don't want to mess with the great Sonny Corinthos' little girl for fear that they'll end up at the bottom of the river. If only they knew that Sonny was too preoccupied with killing people to even look my way; I only see him whenever he gives Mom a check for my tuition. He doesn't care about me. He doesn't fight to see me like he's done with Michael and Morgan. Well, fuck him; his life is disturbing anyway. How can anyone sleep at night knowing that they have that much blood on their hands? God, he makes me sick… but I love him."_

* * *

Kristina had no idea how long she was in the shower when she heard Sam knocking at the door.

--- "Kris, honey, are you alright in there?"

Kristina shut off the faucets and stepped out of the shower. She put her robe on and looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were puffy; her sister will know she was crying. Even though she was angry at the way Sam had ganged up on her with their mother, Kristina loved her more than life itself; she could never hide her feelings when she felt truly down. Sam was always the one that made her feel better whenever she was upset. She remembered how Sam laid with her in bed when Alexis was in a coma while suffering from lung cancer, consoling her as she cried to sleep each night wanting to be with their mother. Sam always protected her. Kristina opened the door to see Sam leaning against the door frame; Kristina's eyes filled with tears.

Sam pulled her sister to her. It broke her heart to see Kristina was in so much pain, and she only wanted to help her deal with whatever was causing such pain. Sam held her sister and reassured her that everything would be alright.

When Kristina finally stopped crying, she let go of her sister, who had tears in her own eyes. Kristina stepped into her closet so she could change. She reached for the shoebox with her bottle of gin and took a few more gulps, feeling slightly woozy after doing so. She wanted to have a smoke so badly, but now that she was on constant surveillance by her sister and mom, she knew she couldn't. Resigned to just having the bottle of gin, Kristina changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and emerged from the closet to see Sam sitting on the bed waiting for her.

--- "Care to go for a drive with your big sister?"

Kristina just shrugged her shoulders and followed her sister out of the bedroom.


	8. Psyche

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of these characters.

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

Alexis walked out of Kristina's room feeling dejected. The look on Kristina's face when she told her that she didn't want to be helped was terrifying. While Alexis knew that many teenagers went through these kinds of phases, she was worried that Kristina would remain on this path of destruction until she did something that she regretted and could not take back. Isn't that what basically happened to her eldest daughter? Didn't it take sleeping with Ric for her to realize how self-destructive she had been all those years? Wasn't that the turning point in their, when Sam realized how much she was hurting, and how much, in turn, she had hurt Alexis in the process? Alexis did not want such a downward spiral to reoccur with Kristina. She decided that she needed to get out of the house for a few hours to gather her thoughts. She picked up her phone and dialed Sam's number.

--- "Sam, honey, can you come by and stay with your sister, I need to run a few errands."

--- "Sure, of course. I'll be right over."

When Sam arrived 15 minutes later, she found Alexis sitting on the couch wiping her eyes; she had obviously been crying.

--- "Mom, hey, what's going on? Did you and Kristina have another argument?"

--- "No, well yes, but not quite. I told her that my heart was breaking watching her go down this road, and if she continued this way and ended in jail, I wouldn't be able to save her. You know what she answered me, Sam? '_Who said I wanted to be saved!?' _ Sam, your sister doesn't even care what kind of life she's setting up for herself, and I'm scared for her. I just don't know what to do other than go to Lainey and speak to her myself, and hope that she has a logical solution."

Sam immediately knew that her mother had gone about speaking to Kristina in the wrong way. Without realizing, she answered her mother harsher than she had expected.

--- "Mom! Why would you tell her that?! God, now she must feel like she's a disappointment to you!"

Sam saw the look of shock on Alexis' face, so she softened.

--- "I'm sorry. By telling Kristina that your heart is breaking because of her actions, you've just basically said that she's disappointed you, which is the furthest thing that she ever wanted to do. Take it from someone who knows, disappointing you is the worst feeling because we end up feeling as though you've lost respect from us… Mom, its hurtful."

Alexis immediately felt like an idiot, she knew what Sam meant by that comment. In the past, Alexis had made Sam feel as though she was not worth her love. Although Alexis had loved Sam from the day Sam, dying from a bullet wound, first called her Mom, Alexis knew that Sam would not have been her ideal choice for a daughter; she had herself called Sam pathetic and degraded, and kicked her out of her home for fear that she would have a negative effect on her sisters. Nonetheless, Alexis regretted the pain she inflicted on Sam by her harsh words.

Of course everything had since changed between the women, but the pain still lingered, and surfaced whenever mother and daughter argued; Sam did not want Kristina to ever feel that pain, or harbor any form of resentment against Alexis. Sam loved her mother, but there were still times when she felt as though she weren't good enough for Alexis' love.

--- "Sam, I just — I just don't want her to turn out like…"

Sam looked at her mother, with hurt visibly clear in her eyes.

--- "Me."

Alexis again put her foot in her mouth. The look on Sam's face sliced right through her; she didn't mean it the way her daughter must've been taking it. She enveloped her petite daughter in her arms.

--- "Sweetheart, I didn't mean it the way it sounded. I hope you know how proud I am of you, and of the accomplishments that you have garnered. I don't want _you_ to feel as though you are _ever _a disappointment to me, because you aren't. I'm glad that we're as close as we are, but, I know that at times, our past feelings cause words of encouragement and support to seem as though they're ways of making you seem less than you are. We were different people then. Sam, I don't want Kristina to feel like you do whenever I get upset with you. You aren't a disappointment to me, and I wish I could stop making you feel that way. It is my biggest regret that I ever made you feel that way; a mother should never make her child feel worthless, no matter what she does. I'm so sorry I made you feel that way; I'm so proud of you. God, look at all you've accomplished! You've gotten your GED, you got your PI license, and now, you have your own business… Sam, you have your own life! You have your own identity outside of Jason, outside of any man, and I'm proud of you for finding and establishing yourself. So please, please don't take what I said as a swipe against you."

Sam knew what Alexis was saying was true, and that she never meant to insinuate that Sam was not the ideal person Kristina should strive to be. Alexis would be fine with Kristina becoming as Sam was presently, minus the emotional scarring, than Sam as she was when she first arrived in Port Charles. Sam understood her mother's sentiments and for the most part agreed with it. She let go of Alexis.

--- "Mom, I understand; I wouldn't want Kristina to be like me either, clearly I have more emotional issues than a teenager really needs. But, you have to get this in your head, Kristina doesn't need you to save her; she needs to feel that you're supportive of her. If you keep trying to save her, she's going to keep running in the opposite direction because you saving her is like you telling her that where she's at isn't good enough. You've gotta stop acting as though she's your client, and more like your daughter who needs support. She's a teenager, and this is how they act. -- Now, why don't you just go run your errands, and I'll stay with Kristina."

--- "Fine, I'll be back later."

* * *

Alexis drove until she found herself at General Hospital. She needed to speak to Dr. Winters about how she could go about handling Kristina. When the elevator doors opened up, she and Lainey almost ran into each other.

--- "Ah, just the person I was looking to see."

--- "Hi Alexis, I was just leaving for lunch, do you want to walk with me and we'll talk?"

--- "Sure."

Alexis explained the situation to Lainey while they walked over to Kelly's.

--- "…see I just don't know how to deal with her. Sam says that I was making Kristina feel as though she was a disappointment, but I'm just… lost. I don't know what I could possibly say to Kristina to let her know that I'm there for her because no matter what I say, I'm looked at as the enemy. I mean really talk to me honestly, without psychoanalyzing me: what do you say to a 15 year old girl who got caught having sex with a much older guy, contracted an STD, texts naked pictures of herself, and God knows what other problems?"

--- "Well, Sam's right. I know that you're disappointed in Kristina's actions, but you can't make her change her actions just because you tell her that your heart is breaking. Alexis, it isn't about you. Kristina is a teenager with racing hormones, and she's acting out like typical teens do. I know that its difficult to see, but that's the reality of the situation. The question you have to ask yourself is, _'what am I doing to curb her attitude? Am I being supportive and understanding, or am I just being a dictator barking orders?' _Children need boundaries, if you give them too much freedom, they do what they want, but if you smother them to much, they rebel. It seems to me that Kristina was well aware as a child of the problems you and Sam had, and she probably feels as though she's being as much of a disappointment, as Sam was to you then. At first, she was an overachiever, like her mother, getting Straight A's and doing everything as perfectly as she could, but then the teenage hormones kicked in. The pressures of being the perfect child may have been getting to her, and so she started to have sex and act out. Alexis, notice that she wasn't having sex in your house, but at her sisters –"

--- "Yea, probably because she knew that she wouldn't get caught there."

--- "Ok, she could have been doing it there for that reason, or she was doing it in a place where she felt more comfortable because she believes her sister lives her life as she wants without feeling as though any misstep is a disappointment. –"

--- "But Sam feels that way… I know that Sam feels she has to work harder than the other girls so she doesn't feel as though I think she's worthless. I keep telling her that that's not the case, but I don't think I always get through to her. ---"

--- "Yes, but Kristina doesn't know that. In front of her, you and Sam are as close as ever, despite her imperfections. Sam gets to go home at night, and be whomever she wants to be without feeling any pressure from you. I think that Kristina could be acting out because she wants to be like Sam, and have a strong relationship with you in spite of her failures to live up to your high standards; Kristina seems to want that acceptance from you."

Alexis did not know what to say to that. She never thought that she put pressure on any of her daughters; she just wanted the best for them. Alexis loved each of her girls equally, and would be supportive of them no matter what they chose to do in their lives, as long as it was commendable and honest. Alexis never forced Kristina to be the perfect student; that was just the kind of girl she was.

--- "Well, what about Sonny? Kristina took my car this morning, and drove to Sonny's house. She hasn't seen him in months, and hasn't even asked to see him. Why would she go there?"

--- "Maybe she wants some attention from him?"

--- "She had to know that by going there, one of the guards would tell me, and I would tell Sonny about her STD –"

--- "Sometimes negative attention is better than no attention at all. She probably misses her father, and wanted him to support her. Girls have a natural proclivity to be Daddy's girls."

Alexis knew that Lainey was right. Alexis didn't like for Sonny to be around Krisitna too often because his life was too dangerous, as proven by the fact that Michael was shot in the head, but she never told him to stay completely out of her life. When Michael was shot, Kristina was not some young child who would not have noticed her father missing from her life, she was old enough to remember her father and know who he was. Ric may have been a dick, but he still took care of Molly, and saw her regularly. Even though Kristina wasn't his, he still treated her as his own, but Kristina knew the difference.

--- "I guess you're right. Thank you so much for your help Lainey; I think I know what I need to do."

--- "Any time, Alexis. When she's ready, set Kristina up for an appointment with me."

* * *

As Alexis was getting into her car, she grabbed her phone and dialed,

--- "Meet me at my office in 20 minutes. We need to talk about our daughter."


	9. Revealing

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the characters.

Note: This chapter is a _teensy _bit vulgar.

**CHAPTER NINE**

Sam and Kristina drove down to the pier in silence. Out of the corner of her eye, Sam could see that every few seconds, Kristina was wiping her eyes. Sam decided that she wouldn't say anything to her sister, unless she opened up herself.

As they walked along the pier, Kristina remained quiet, so Sam decided she would break the ice.

--- "So, do you want to hear about my new case at work?"

Kristina rolled her eyes; she knew her sister was trying small talk in order to make the situation less uncomfortable.

--- "Sam, how were you able to stand Mom when you first found out you were her daughter?"

"_Okay, here we go," _Sam thought.

--- "What do you mean?"

--- "She's just so high and mighty. You were able to live your life for so many years without her, you didn't have to have a relationship with her and have her look down on you all the time. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm glad you decided to have a relationship with her because then Molly and I were able to have you for a big sister, but God, Mom can be such a bitch sometime!"

Sam was about to reprimand Kristina for calling their mother a bitch, but she knew that if she did, her sister would shut down. So, she let it pass.

--- "Well, I'll admit that it wasn't easy, but Kristina, I was no peach either. I was disrespectful, I was resentful, I didn't listen to her –"

--- "You were grown! Why would you have had to listen to her!?"

--- "Kristina, I don't know if you remember, but when I thought I killed Diego Alcazar, Mom defended me. The judge released me into her care, but I decided to leave without her knowing to find Jason, who was a fugitive at the time. When the cops were ready to arrest me for violating bail, Mom stepped up for me. I was willing to risk her license, just so I could do what I wanted, even though she put her neck on the line for me."

--- "Sam, I get that she cares about us… I know that she loves us, but I'm just tired of her acting as though unless we're perfect, we're just disappointments. Its too hard!"

--- "You think it's too hard to please her?"

--- "Um, don't you? God, Sam, don't try to play psychiatrist with me! You know how Mom is! You can't be a regular person with her. The first thing she told me when you told her about the pics of me on my phone was that I could go to jail because it was a crime to send the pics to people because I was distributing child pornography because I'm underaged… I think I would've preferred her yell at me. I'm not some kind of criminal she meets at the office who she has to make deals with. Do you know how many girls my age are doing the same thing? I'm not the first 15 year old to have sex. –"

--- "I think it goes beyond you having sex, Kris. First, you were having sex with a 21 year old guy, who you hardly knew, who may have given you an STD, and second, you were sneaking into _my _apartment to do it. Kris, do you even know how I felt when I walked in on you with this guy?"

Kristina blushed at the memory of her sister walking into the room, and seeing her in such a compromising state; that had to be one of the most embarrassing moments of her life. _"God, my sister walked in on me having sex and interrogated the guy while he held a pillow to his crouch."_

Sam noticed the look of embarrassment on Kristina's face.

--- "Its ok, honey, I know that was incredibly embarrassing for you, but you know what? If the situation arose again, I would've done it again. Kris, I love you. I was so worried about you, and I was not about to let some older guy take advantage of you. Kristina, now that we're being honest, can you tell me how long this has been going on?"

Kristina always felt comfortable talking to her big sister. Even though she knew that whatever she told her, if need be, Sam would tell their mother, she also knew that Sam would tell Alexis in a way that alleviated any trouble she would get into. Sam was always able to see both sides of the issue, and Kristina loved her for that.

--- "Since last summer."

Sam sighed. How had Kristina been having sex for a year without her knowing? She always knew what was going on with her sister; how did she miss that?

--- "Ok. How many guys have you been with?"

Again, Kristina was embarrassed.

--- "I don't know."

Sam felt her tears burning her eyes.

--- "Ok. Do you know who might have given you the STD or how long you might have had it?"

Kristina looked down at her hands,

--- "No."

Sam kept blinking to try and get rid of the welling tears.

--- "Kristina, what's going on with you? Why are you having so much sex, and with all these guys?"

Kristina was on the defensive. Was Sam calling her a slut?

--- "God, Sam! I'm not a fucking slut! You know damned well that you have had sex with countless guys _by my age_! How dare you judge me –"

Kristina was too much like Sam; she always found herself blowing up at the people she loved the most. How many times had Sam blown up on Alexis for a simple question?

--- "I'm not judging you, Kris. I'm just trying to get to the bottom of why you've been having sex with all these guys --"

--- "You know what, fuck you Sam. I slept with those guys because I wanted to! I slept with them for the same damn reason you were sleeping around at my age: they gave me stuff and they showed me love and attention! They _loved _me!"

At that, Kristina stormed off.

--- "Kristina!"

_Shit. _ Sam caught up to her, and grabbed her arm to make her stop.

--- "Kristina, come on! Don't do this! I'm not judging you!"

Kristina was crying; it seemed as though for the past day and half, that was all she was doing.

--- "Sam, I'm so tired of all this crap! Mom judges me because I've failed to live up to her potential, and Dad couldn't give two shits about me! Do you want to know why I let all those guys, or should I say men, have sex with me? Seriously? It's because they actually didn't expect anything from me, and they wanted to be with me!"

Sam reached over and wiped the tears from her sister's face.

--- "No, baby, these were men who were just taking advantage of you. They weren't trying to be with you, they just wanted to have sex with you!"

Kristina pulled away,

--- "What the hell do you know!? Just leave me alone, Sam! I just want to be alone! Please!"

Sam didn't know what to do, she couldn't very well leave her sister crying in the street, and even if she weren't crying, leaving her wasn't an option, because her mother expressly forbade her from letting her alone.

--- "I can't do that, Kris."

--- "WHY?! Because MOM told you not to?! Are you fucking kidding me Sam? Are you afraid of disappointing Mommy? Leaving me alone would certainly _not _be the worst thing you've ever done to disappoint her, so please don't be such a pussy! I'm sure that the great Alexis Davis will forgive your trespasses."

Sam was getting angrier and angrier.

--- "You know what, Kristina, I'm sick and tired of your attitude. I'm not leaving you alone simply because I don't want to disappoint Mom, or because she asked me not to; I'm sure if I leave you alone, you'll do something stupid! You've already proven that you can't be trusted."

Sam grabbed her sister's arm and dragged her back to the car. They drove back home in silence.

* * *

As they walked up to the house, Sam's phone began to ring; it was Alexis.

--- "Hello, one second – Kristina, go inside."

Kristina didn't bother to answer her sister, and just walked into the house and up to her room. Sam continued her conversation.

--- "Sorry, Mom. What's up?"

--- "Sam, honey, you sound like you've just been run over by a train, no success?"

--- "Actually, no, I was successful. It's just that it started off well, and then it became intense. I must say, we Cassidines have a sick ability to wail on people at the drop of a hat!"

--- "Yea, well, that's the nature of having crazy genes. What can you tell me?"

--- "Well, I was only able to get into the sex conversation with her. Mom, she's got a lot of issues. She's been having sex since last summer, and she's been doing it with a countless amount of _men_—"

Alexis audibly gasped.

--- "Sam, did you just say that your sister has been having sex since she was 14, and that she doesn't know how many _MEN_ she's slept with?"

--- "Yes."

Sam heard her mother sniffle on the other end. Alexis' voice began to crack,

--- "Um, do you know… why?"

--- "Well, she was saying a lot, Mom, but I know you're not going to like what I have to tell you."

--- "Sam, I'm not liking what you're telling me right now! There's nothing you can say that will shock me right now."

--- "Kris has a lot of resentment. She asked me how I could stand you because you were difficult to please, and any misstep on any of our parts was a disappointment to you. Mom, she thinks you treat her like a client, instead of her daughter. I mean, she wanted you to yell at her about the naked pics on her phone, instead of talking to her about the law. Kristina seems to want to please you, but feels as though nothing she ever does is really enough, because if she makes a mistake, then all of her other achievements won't mean anything because you would've lost faith in her. She feels as though the pressure is too much."

Alexis felt horrible. She never realized that she put that much pressure on her kids to succeed and made them feel like failures when they didn't. She grabbed a tissue from her desk drawer and wiped her eyes.

--- "Mom, are you okay?"

Alexis sighed,

--- "Yea, I'm alright. What else did she tell you?"

--- "She's not only angry with you, Mom, she's pretty upset with Sonny, and I think its clear that that's why she's sleeping with a bunch of men. She told me that she was sleeping with them because they give her things and show her attention. She's angry because she never sees Sonny, and I think she's trying to find love in other men."

--- "Ok, I think its evident that she needs to speak with Lainey, whom I actually met with today. I must say, honey, you would be a great psychiatrist. She thinks you were right about everything you told me earlier today."

At that moment there was a knock on Alexis' door.

--- "One sec Sam – Come in. Oh, thanks for stopping by. – Sam, honey, I'll talk to you when I get home."

--- "Bye Mom."

--- "Bye honey, I love you."

Alexis hung up and dealt with her guest.


	10. Wasted

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of these characters

**CHAPTER TEN**

Sonny walked into Alexis' office to find her in the middle of a phone call. She put her finger up to him to tell him to hold on.

--- "Come in. Oh, thanks for stopping by. – Sam, honey, I'll talk to you when I get home. I love you."

Sonny wanted to know why Alexis had summoned him to her office; she clearly acted as though she had everything under control with Kristina, and she didn't need any of his help.

--- "What do you want Alexis?"

Alexis knew that Sonny was upset with her for keeping him out of the loop, but after meeting with Dr. Winters, she knew that she needed to speak to him about Kristina's problem.

--- "Sonny, we have a big problem. Lainey thinks that part of Kristina's problem is that she's acting out because she misses you. –"

Sonny was on the verge of exploding.

--- "Don't you think I would've loved to be around her? You're the one who fought me tooth and nail to give up my parental rights! Now you want to blame me for her acting out now?"

--- "But you never did, Sonny! _YOU _fought me so you could still have rights to see her, but you never followed through on it. I'm not blaming you for Kristina's attitude, I'm trying to tell you what Lainey told me, and what Sam got Kristina to say!"

Sonny knew that Sam was always able to get Kristina to say things to her, that she wouldn't tell anyone else.

--- "What did Sam say?"

--- "She said that Kristina has admitted to having multiple partners since she started having sex. It seems that what Kristina felt that the guys were giving her attention and giving her things. Sonny, this is a very big problem, and I just wanted you to know about it. I think that you need to try and speak to Kristina and let her know why it is that you have not been around as often. Perhaps taking responsibility for your actions would be great instead of blaming your absence on me."

Sonny just rolled his eyes at Alexis. He had wanted to ask her for more information about the guys that Kristina was sleeping with, but he decided against it because he knew Alexis would never tell him for fear that he might have Jason or any of his other goons rough them up, if not take the guys out. Sonny just walked out of her office.

Alexis decided that she would continue the days work at home.

* * *

After hanging up with her mother, Sam went to the kitchen and started making lunch. About 30 minutes later, Alexis walked into the kitchen.

--- "Hey Mom, what are you doing home already? I figured you would be working from the office for the rest of the day. I'm making spaghetti."

Alexis kissed her daughter on the cheek.

--- "Thank you Sam."

Sam smiled,

--- "For what? The spaghetti? You're welcome. We can't very well leave Kristina without a door _and _without any food!"

Alexis had to laugh at that comment.

--- "No, I'm serious. You're the only one who can really get your sister to open up, no matter how upset she might get at you. I'm really grateful for you, and I don't think that I tell you that enough."

--- "Aww, well you're welcome. I love Kristina, even though she can be difficult at times. She's still a sweet kid. Don't worry, we'll get through this. I'll be back, let me get her down here to eat."

Sam went upstairs to let Kristina know that lunch was almost prepared.

--- "Kristina, I just want to check to see if you're alright."

Sam wasn't shocked that she didn't get any response. She stepped into her sister's room, but didn't see her. The bathroom door was open, but Kristina wasn't there either. Sam, stepped further into the room, and noticed the closet door ajar. She didn't want to completely invade her sister's privacy, seeing as their mother left her without a bedroom door, so Sam knocked before pushing the door in more. That's when she noticed two empty bottles of alcohol on the ground, and Kristina lying on the ground, gasping for breath with vomit all over her shirt and on the floor. Sam was terrified, she ran to the door and screamed for Alexis,

--- "Oh my God! MOOOOOM! Mooom, get up here!"

Sam ran over to Kristina, trying not to gag over the stench of alcohol and vomit in the closet. She rolled Kristina over to her side so that she wouldn't choke. Alexis ran into the room, and saw the scene. She immediately grabbed the nearest phone and dialed 911.

--- "Yes, hello, this is Alexis Davis, I need an ambulance over here right away, I think my 15 year old daughter has alcohol poisoning. Ok, thank you."

Alexis hung up the phone and ran into the bathroom and grabbed a hand towel, wet it, and wiped the vomit off of Kristina's face, mouth, and chest. While Sam and Alexis lifted Kristina out of the closet and into the bedroom, Kristina began to mumble.

--- "Mommy? Sammy? I don't feel too good."

--- "I know baby, it's going to be alright, Mommy and Sammy are here. It's okay."

As they sat her on the floor, Kristina vomited again, this time getting it all over herself, Sam and Alexis, who didn't pay attention to their soiled clothes.

--- "Sam, take the towel, and keep wiping her mouth. I need to open the door for the paramedics, I think I heard sirens."

While Alexis was downstairs letting the paramedics in, Sam noticed that Kristina was becoming unresponsive, and her breathing became shallow. Sam shook her sister, trying to wake her up.

--- "Krissy, honey, you can't sleep, wake up."

Kristina started to awaken slowly, but she was still out of it.

--- "I'm sick, don't shake me…"

Kristina threw up for the third time and again, all over Sam. Sam continued to wipe her sister's face and mouth of the vomit. Alexis, followed by the paramedics 30 seconds later, ran into the room. Alexis noticed that Sam was even more covered with her sister's vomit. The paramedics pushed the women aside, and checked Kristina's pulse and breathing.

--- "She's becoming increasingly unresponsive, and her breathing is shallow. -- Ok, ladies, meet us at General Hospital!"

They put her on a stretcher and were out of the house with her as quickly as they had come in.

* * *

Alexis ran into her room, and grabbed a pair of blue jeans and a shirt to change in. She dumped them into a duffle bag and ran back into Kristina's room, where Sam was trying to get out of her disgustingly soiled clothes without getting anymore vomit on her than Kristina already had; there was no way she could stay in those clothes.

--- "Sam, what are you doing? We have to go!"

--- "Mom! I'm covered in vomit, I can't go out like this."

Being that Sam and Kristina were basically the same size, and Sam's room was on the other side of the house, Alexis grabbed two pairs of sweat suits, and threw one to Sam to put on, and put the other in her bag for Kristina.

--- "Ok, well here, put these on then, but hurry up. You're driving, I'll change in the car."

Sam pulled the sweatpants and tank on, threw her sneakers back on, and followed her mother out of the house. When Sam got into the driver's seat, Alexis gave Sam the sweatshirt, hopped into the back seat and changed out of her clothes. Sam drove as fast as she could to General Hospital.

* * *

When they finally arrived at General Hospital, Kristina was already being examined in the emergency room. Alexis and Sam noticed Elizabeth Webber standing at the curtain, so they ran over to her, and pulled back the curtain to the doctors working on Kristina. Liz pushed them out so she could talk to them.

--- "Alexis, Sam, Kristina, will be fine! She's got alcohol poisoning, but they're going to give her fluids for dehydration; they're going to also want to observe her overnight."

Alexis so relieved, grabbed Sam, and gave her a hug.

--- "Oh thank God. Thank you Liz."

Alexis began thinking about whether or not having Lainey come by and speak to Kristina would be a good idea.

--- "When can we see her?"

--- "Just give us a couple of minutes to clean her up a bit. She's still out of it, but again, she'll be fine."

--- "Thanks Liz."

While waiting to see Kristina, Alexis wondered aloud whether she should call Lainey right away, or speak to Kristina first.

--- "I think I should get Lainey down here. This can't continue like this, she's drinking to the point of alcohol poisoning? I mean, where the hell did she get those bottles of liquor!?"

Sam couldn't help but be worried for her sister, and disgusted by the fact that although she changed her clothes, she still wreaked of vomit. Smelling herself made her want to vomit.

--- "Mom, those were the bottles I told you were missing from my liquor cabinet. I definitely never thought they were at home; I assumed that she had already finished them with whatever dude she brought over to my house. I think we should really get Lainey to meet with Kristina; clearly we were of no help to her, and her conversation with me this afternoon is what set her off. She needs help."

Alexis knew that Sam was right. Kristina was getting worse, and she clearly demonstrated a drinking problem seeing as she had the bottles of gin and vodka hidden in her closet. Kristina was too young to have a drinking problem.

--- "I swear, this is ridiculous; on one side, Kristina has a family of lunatics, and on the other, she's got a mobster father who happens to be bipolar. Oh yea, we mustn't forget the fact that we're all susceptible to getting brain tumors, like Nikolas had. My gosh, this kid is a ticking bomb waiting to happen; no wonder she's all screwed up!"

Alexis wasn't joking, she was actually on the verge of a breakdown. The past two days were exceptionally stressful for her, and Alexis tried her best to be strong, but this was the last straw. Sam noticed her mother's anguish, and pulled her to her. Alexis never liked being the comforted, as so much as the comforter; she felt that because she was the mother, she was supposed to comfort her kids, but she welcomed the change, and cried like a baby in Sam's arms.

* * *

A few moments later, Alexis wiped her face, and got up.

--- "I forgot my phone at the house, can I borrow yours? I'm going to call Lainey."

Sam handed Alexis her cell. Alexis dialed Lainey's number.

--- "Lainey, Alexis Davis. Are you at General Hospital right now? --- Great. Kristina's in the emergency room; she was brought in for alcohol poisoning. --- Sam and I found her in her room. --- Okay, thank you."

Liz called them over to see Kristina a few minutes later. Alexis approached her daughter and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead.

--- "Hi honey. You gave us quite the fright! How are you feeling?"

Kristina's voice was hoarse from all the vomiting.

--- "I'm a little nauseous."

Sam wiped a tear from Kristina's face.

--- "It's okay, it's probably from the medication that they gave you. I'm sure you'll be feeling better in a couple of hours."

Kristina knew her mother and sister wanted to say something about what had happened, but were walking on eggshells. She felt horribly about scaring them as she did, and began to cry even more.

--- "I'm sorry, Mommy! I didn't mean to scare you guys."

Alexis continued to run her hands in her daughter's hair. She knew that Kristina was truly sorry about what she did, but being sorry didn't solve the problem.

--- "Honey, the doctor wants you to stay here overnight, and I've asked Dr. Winter to come by and speak with you about this."

Kristina was not happy to hear this. She noticed Lainey standing at the door observing them. Kristina turned away from her mother and sister.

--- "Get out."


	11. Gone

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the characters.

**Note**: I was at a loss what to do next with the chapter. I hope you like the direction I'm going with the story. **Please Review and let me know what you think! **

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

While Sam was downstairs talking about her to their mother, Kristina went upstairs to drown her sorrows. She did not expect to finish the bottle of gin she had started earlier that day, and certainly did not expect to go through the whole bottle of vodka she had hidden in the very back of her closet. _"Thanks Sam,"_ she thought as she started the second bottle. While Kristina knew that Sam cared for her deeply, there were times when even the most caring questions drew her close to the edge, and she would shut down from the conversation; she supposed this was a trait that she inherited from both the Corinthos and the Cassidine side of the family. Kristina had seen Sam react the exact same way with Alexis, and Alexis would just throw her hands up in agitation, because once her daughter got into that mood, there was no getting her out of it except to leave her alone.

As soon as Kristina finished the second bottle, she knew that she had drunk too much. She tried to get up to call her sister for help, but the world just spun around. Every time she tried to get up, she found herself falling over, until she finally thought it best if she stayed lying on the floor in her closet.

Kristina had no idea how long she was lying on the floor when she began to choke. It took her a couple of second to realize what it was she was choking on: her own vomit. She tried get up, but she felt as though her body was made of lead, and moving was impossible. The world began to grow dark around her.

Suddenly, she heard her sister calling her name, but Kristina, being unable to breathe, and in and out of consciousness, couldn't respond. The last thing she remembered was telling her mother and sister that she wasn't feeling well, and then she began to black out again.

When Kristina finally gained consciousness, she realized she was dressed in a hospital gown, and an IV was in her arm. _"What the fuck happened?"_ she asked herself. Within minutes, Sam and Alexis were in the room; Sam dressed in one of Kristina's sweat suits. Alexis gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead, which caused Kristina's eyes to fill with tears; she knew that she had screwed up again. Sam wiped the tear that had fallen onto her sister's face, assuring her that she'd be okay.

Kristina wanted to tell them that they didn't need to worry about her, that she wasn't going to touch another bottle of alcohol again, when Lainey Winter appeared at the door. Kristina was livid. _"What the hell is wrong with these idiots? I don't need a fucking shrink." _She shut down and kicked the women out of her room.

* * *

Alexis was not about to let her 15 year old kick everyone out when she clearly had a problem that need to be addressed; Alexis looked at her daughter sternly,

--- "Kristina, we're not going anywhere. You scared the crap out of your sister and me. You clearly have no concern for your life, and perhaps have a drinking problem. I already told you that I was not going to stand aside and allow you to ruin your life. Now, you're going to keep your mouth shut, and listen to what we have to say."

Sam didn't agree with her mother on how she was handling the current situation. Alexis had already tried tough love on Kristina, and it clearly didn't work. They both tried talking to Kristina, and that obviously didn't work. Sam thought that perhaps they weren't the ones Kristina needed to speak to. She told Lainey to leave, grabbed Alexis' arm and took her out of the room.

--- "Mom, stop –"

--- "What do you mean 'stop,' Samantha? Kristina needs help ---"

--- "Exactly! She needs help, not badgering! I already told you that you're just going to cause her to keep shutting down. You say that Kristina and I are alike in a lot of ways, so I gotta tell ya, if I were in that bed right now, I would've tuned you out a long time ago!"

Alexis looked as though she had been slapped in the face by Sam's comments. Sam noticed the look on her mother's face, but continued anyway,

--- "Kristina doesn't want to hear what we have to say because she's already heard it; there's nothing new about it. I'm pretty sure she knows that she screwed up, so she doesn't need you telling her that."

--- "Sam, why are you saying these things?"

--- "I'm not trying to hurt you, but I think that it's time to have Sonny try to talk to her. I told you that she feels neglected by him, and that all she wants is his attention. Call Sonny, tell him what happened, and let him try to reach Kristina!"

Alexis needed to get away and think; she just walked away from her eldest daughter.

--- "Mom, wait!" Sam called after Alexis, "don't walk away."

* * *

Alexis was not mad at Sam; she was angry with herself, but more so at Sonny. Although Sonny fought Alexis tooth and nail after Michael was shot, to keep his rights to Kristina, he hardly ever bothered to see her; Alexis was relieved about that. Alexis believed that the less Kristina saw of Sonny, the safer she would be from his dangerous world; in hindsight, however, Alexis knew that Kristina was hurting from the was seemed to be Sonny's rejection of her. Alexis should have spoken to Sonny and had him speak with their daughter; perhaps if she had done so, they wouldn't be in this current predicament.

Alexis still had Sam's cell in her pocket, so she dialed Sonny. Max picked up.

--- "Max, Alexis Davis, I need to speak to Sonny."

--- "I'm sorry Ms. Davis, but Sonny is unavailable."

--- "MAX! I don't care if he's in some stupid _mob _meeting, you tell him that his daughter is in the hospital for alcohol poisoning!"

--- "I'm sorry to hear that Ms. Davis, but Sonny's out of town, and Jason's gone to find him."

--- "Are you telling me that Sonny's missing?"

--- "Yes, ma'am."

Alexis just hung up the phone. "GREAT! GREAT! THIS IS JUST FUCKING GREAT!" Alexis screamed. Sam found Alexis.

--- "Mom, what's going on? Why are you screaming?"

Alexis thought for a second, sighed, and looked at her daughter.

--- "Sonny's missing."

Sam knew this was a disaster.

--- "What are we going to tell Kristina?"

--- "SAMANTHA! What kind of question is that?! We can't tell her anything! "

Sam was getting tired of all of this stress and commotion. She needed a shower, she was worried about her sister, and she was tired of her mother taking her frustrations out on her.

--- "Mom, don't yell at me! None of this is my fault."

Sam got up to walk away, but Alexis grabbed her, and made her sit down beside her.

--- "Honey, I'm sorry. I keep taking my frustrations out on you, and I'm sorry."

Alexis kissed her daughter on the forehead, and continued.

--- "Okay, since Kristina won't talk to either of us, and she certainly isn't interested in having Lainey in there, I think it's probably best that we leave her for a couple of hours to calm down. Plus, I think we're both due for showers; we wreak of vomit." Alexis smiled and whispered, "you more than me."

Sam had to laugh at the look on Alexis' look of discuss after reaching in Sam's hair, then showing her a piece of vomit chunk.

--- "Oh God!" Sam was so grossed out.

* * *

Kristina was still facing away from them when they walked back into her room. Alexis sat on her bed, running her hand up and down Kristina's back, as she did whenever any of her girls weren't feeling well.

--- "Ok, Kristina, Sam and I are going home to shower and change. We also have to check on Molly. We'll be back in a couple of hours. If you're still feeling nauseous, you should get some rest."

Kristina rolled her eyes at her mother, and pulled away from her touch; Alexis expected that of her.

--- "Bye, honey. We'll see you later."

--- "Bye, Krissy."

Sam and Alexis left.

Kristina grabbed the phone, and dialed out to Jeff, the guy Sam had caught her with.

--- "Jeff, baby, it's Sa- Kristina."

Jeff had been hoping that Kristina would contact him; she was a cute kid.

--- "Hi, baby girl! How are you? I was hoping you would call me."

--- "I'm glad you feel that way, Jeff. I'm at the hospital. Can you come get me?"

--- "Well, I don't know. Your mom's the DA, and I'm not trying to go to jail for messing with a kid!"

--- "Look, don't worry about her, she's gone for a couple of hours. Just come and get me!"

Jeff had to think about how he would make his move.

--- "Alright, I'm going to send my boy Tyson over for you. He's more your age, so it won't look suspicious. Just be ready to leave as soon as he gets there, alright?"

--- "Yea! No problem. It's room 5501."

Kristina was elated. She hung up the phone and grabbed the change of clothes Alexis had brought for her. She ran into the bathroom to change.

Within 10 minutes, Tyson was there to get Kristina. Since GH had always been lacking in security control, it wasn't very difficult for the two to sneak out.

Tyson led Kristina to a black Corolla with darkly tinted windows. Kristina was beginning to feel apprehensive about the whole situation, but she couldn't bring herself to turn around and go back to that stuffy hospital room.

Tyson opened the passenger side door for her. Kristina got in. Once seated, she felt an arm reach around her and pull her in for a kiss; it was Jeff. Kristina was so excited; she jumped from the front seat, to the back to be with him.

* * *

About an hour later, Liz Webber started her final rounds. When she got to Kristina's room, she noticed that she wasn't in the bed. Liz knocked on the bathroom door and got no response. She opened the door to see Kristina's hospital gown lying on the floor. As she turned to call for help, she noticed the IV was dangling beside the bed. _"Oh Shit!"_

Elizabeth grabbed the phone and called security. She then dialed Alexis; this was a call she dreaded making.


	12. Love

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters.

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

When they finally returned to the lake house, Sam headed straight to her shower to wash the vomit out of her hair, and Alexis went into hers and drew herself a hot bubble bath. Alexis typically wasn't a bath person, but after the stress of the past day and a half, she needed one. Within minutes of getting into the bubble-filled bath, Alexis was fast asleep.

Sam was emotionally drained, and disgusted by the chunks of vomit her mother discovered in her hair, she took a steamy hot shower for about 45 minutes, using almost all of the expensive shower gel and shampoo she swiped from her mother's shower whenever she stayed over; Alexis knew Sam was taking it, but just kept multiple bottles hidden, so she never ran out. Sam scrubbed her hair several times, making sure that she got all of the vomit out of her hair.

After scrubbing her body raw, and washing her hair to the point of it squeaking, Sam felt a surge of emotion building inside her. As her tears became cries, Sam soon found herself sitting on the shower floor sobbing. Sam was watching her sister kill herself, and no matter how much she tried to reach Kristina, she fell flat. Sam could not bear to see Kristina go through the hell that she went through, and she couldn't stand seeing Alexis' heart break as Kristina continued to act up. She wanted so much to find a way to reach through to her sister, to show her the scars she had from her past, both emotional and psychological, but she wasn't even sure that was enough. Sam had come to the point where she believed that there was nothing left to do for her sister, but to let her experience what she wanted to experience and pray that that was enough to turn her around; she just prayed that whatever Kristina needed to go through it didn't lead to another STD. Sam felt defeated.

When Sam was all cried out, she got up, turned off the shower, and wrapped herself up in her towel. The shower had been so hot, that the mirrors of her bathroom and bedroom were steamed. Sam didn't bother drying her hair, or getting dressed, she just put her robe on, went to her bed and fell asleep.

Molly was so excited to see both her mother and Sam's cars parked in the driveway. She loved it when Sam stayed over, and never understood why it was her sister had her own apartment because it seemed like when Sam wasn't travelling, she was typically over at their house. Molly ran ahead of Viola into the house, expecting to see her mother and sisters chatting in the living room or fighting over what to order for dinner from the Metro Court. Instead, Molly walked into a dark living room, and empty kitchen. As she was about to walk upstairs to Sam's room, the phone rang.

--- "Hello, Davis residence."

--- "Hi… Molly?"

--- "Yes, this is Molly? Whom may I ask is calling please?"

--- "This is Nurse Elizabeth, from General Hospital, do you remember me?"

--- "Oh yea! You're Jake's mom! He's in my class – "

--- "That's wonderful. Is your mommy or sister home?"

--- "Yea, I think so! Hold on, lemme go check!"

Molly ran with the phone upstairs into her mother's room, to find no one there. She saw the bathroom door was ajar and the light was on, as was her normal habit.

--- "Mommy? You have a phone call."

Being a light sleeper, Alexis awoke, groggily, at the sound of her youngest daughter entering the bathroom.

--- "[ahem] What did you say, sweetheart?" she called out.

--- "You have a phone call. It's Nurse Elizabeth from the hospital."

Alexis sat up in the tub, _why on earth would the hospital be calling? _She became nervous at the thought that something might have happened with Kristina.

--- "Honey, give me the phone please."

Molly noticed the panic is her mother's voice, and rushed to hand the phone to Alexis.

--- "Thanks baby. Grab my towel for me. – Yes, Liz, this is Alexis, what's going on?"

Molly handed her mother the towel, and walked back to her room.

--- "What the hell do you mean she's not there? You LOST her?! I'll be right there!"

She jumped out of the tub, nearly slipping on the soapy tub floor.

--- "MOLLY! –"

Molly ran back into the bathroom. Alexis was trying to get the soap bubbles off of herself, and talking to herself. When she notice Molly in the room, she unintentionally screamed,

--- "Go get Sam! Tell her we have to get to the hospital!"

Molly had no idea what to think about the situation. Her mother, who never took baths, let alone bubble baths, was running around her bathroom like a lunatic, screaming on the phone, and now she was on the way to tell her sister that she had to get to the hospital!

Molly found Sam knocked out in her bed wrapped in her bathrobe; Her hair was soaking the bed sheet. Molly shook Sam awake.

--- "Sam! Sam! Mommy says you have to get up!"

Sam hated when people woke her up.

--- "Whaaat?!"

Sam turned over and saw it was Molly. Molly was getting even more nervous because it was obvious by the looks of her sister's puffy eyes that she had been crying.

--- "Mommy says you have to get up, you need to go to the hospital. Sam, what's go—"

Before Molly could finish her statement, Sam was up and in her closet getting dressed. Molly ran in after her.

--- "SAM! What's going on!?"

Sam pulled her soaked hair in a ponytail, and looked at her scared little sister. She bent down, and cupped Molly's face in her hands.

--- "Honey, Kristina wasn't feeling well, so we had to take her to the hospital. I don't know what happened that they want us to get over there though. If I knew, I would definitely tell you. Now, can you go tell Viola to order you some dinner, while I go talk to Mommy?"

Molly was beginning to feel like a yoyo. Her mother had her running from one part of the house to the other, and she was tired of it.

Sam rushed into her mother's room; Alexis was standing in her underwear in her closet, searching for clothes, and screaming on the phone at Mac Scorpio, the police commissioner, and looking very frazzled. Alexis, who normally was the queen of multitasking, was, for lack of a better word, a mess. She felt the world collapsing around her.

--- "MOM!"

Alexis turned around and noticed Sam dressed and ready to go.

--- "HOLD ON MAC! WHAT Sam?!"

--- "Mom, stop yelling, Molly told me that we had to get to the hospital? What happened?!"

--- "MAC HOLD ON! Sam, Kristina's missing! We have to get to hospital! MAC! I SAID I WANT AN APB OUT ON HER! --- I DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT IT NOT BEING 24 HOURS! SHE'S 15 YEARS OLD, AND THE DAUGHTER OF THE D. FUCKING A."

Sam needed her mother to get off the phone, and get ready. She went over to her mom, and reached for the phone,

--- "Mom, GET OFF THE DAMN PHONE! You need to get dressed! COME ON! -- Mac, my mother will call you when we get in the car."

Sam snapped the phone shut.

--- "SAM! WE NEED TO GET AN APB OUT ON KRISTINA! WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU HANG UP LIKE THAT!?"

--- "Mom, you need to stop yelling at me and get ready! You can call Mac in the car, but we need to leave."

Alexis was on the verge of tears, but Sam kept her cool. She grabbed a pair of jeans and a shirt and handed them to her mother. Alexis' eyes were tearing up as she got dressed, worrying about what might have happened to Kristina.

As soon as Alexis was dressed, Sam grabbed her by the hand, and led her downstairs. Sam went into the kitchen and spoke with Viola.

--- "Vi, Mom and I need to get to the hospital, Kristina's run away."

--- "Oh my God! Is she hurt?"

--- "Well, she had alcohol poisoning, and we left her to come back here to shower, but she apparently ran off after we left. So we need to get a lead on what happened. Mom's not dealing too well, so if you need anything, call _me_."

Sam then turned to Molly,

--- "Honey, Mom and I have to go find Kristina, we'll see you later, ok?"

--- "Ok."

Sam saw the sad look in Molly's eyes. She felt bad for her because it was apparent that for the past two days, she was getting the short end of the stick in regard to attention. She pulled her sister into a hug, and gave her a kiss on her cheeks and forehead.

--- "I love you baby. I'm really sorry about this."

Sam left the kitchen and found her mother visibly crying on the couch, with her hands covering her face.

--- "Mom, come on."

Alexis looked up at her daughter and nodded. She got up, and followed Sam to the car.

When they got to the car, Alexis looked down at her hands and said,

--- "What if we don't find her?"

Sam gave Alexis' hand a squeeze,

--- "We will."

Kristina rolled over off of Jeff. She neglected to inform him that she had tested positive for an STD, but she figured he'd be fine since they used a condom. She loved Jeff and would do anything for him; he knew that.

--- "Krissy, do you love me?"

--- "Yea, you know I do! Do you love me?"

--- "Yea, baby, I do. You know what would make me really happy, baby?"

--- "What, anything you want!"

--- "My buddy thinks you're hot, and said he would give you $50 if you slept with him…"

--- "Wait, you want me to have sex with your friend for money?"

Kristina might have been going through her wild stage, but she was by no means the typical naive teenager; her mother was in fact the District Attorney. Alexis had spoken to Kristina about guys like him, who turned young girls into prostitutes. Sam had also told Kristina about her past, and how she slept with guys, hell even married them, for money because she needed to take care of her brother. Kristina began to doubt Jeff's love for her.

--- "Jeff, I can't sleep with anyone but you, especially not for money! I love you, but I'm not a prostitute!"

--- "Krissy, what are you talking about? I never said you were a prostitute!"

--- "You want me to prostitute myself! If I sleep with your buddy, then I'll get $50… I'm not doing that!"

Jeff was getting annoyed with Kristina. This had never been so difficult with other girls! He got up from the bed. As he walked away, he turned around and said,

--- "Well you know what, I don't think this is going to work for us. I'll just take you back to the hospital."

Kristina didn't want to go back to the hospital because that would mean that she'd have to go back to her mother's house, and deal with being lectured every second of the day. She didn't want to sleep with some random guy for money, but she didn't want Jeff to leave her.

--- "Fine, I'll do it."

Jeff knew that would work. He walked over to Kristina, and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

--- "I love you baby. I'll call him right now."

Kristina felt like she was going to vomit.

On his way to class, Jeff called his buddy.

--- "Kevin! Hey, dude, she's in. But listen, you gotta be careful with her, she's the D.A.'s kid… no it'll be cool, her mother's a total bitch… but you know what, her sister's a total babe… Sam McCall…. Yea! That chick that used to be on Everyday Heroes a few years ago! … yea, this little one looks just like her… I'll see you tonight then. It's $125. Bring some friends."

Jeff hung up the phone. This little girl was going to make him a nice piece of change.


	13. Changes

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters.

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

Kristina didn't want to sleep with Jeff's friend, especially not for money. Her mother had always told her that if you felt as though you were compromising your integrity doing something, then it wasn't the right thing to do. The problem was that Kristina did _not _want to go back home because she knew that this latest stunt would result in even more punishment than she wanted to get into. She also did not want to deal with her mother giving her the riot act just because she wanted to exert some independence. The other problem was her father; if he found out what she was contemplating, or even found out that she had left the hospital with Jeff, the much older guy she was found with at her sister's apartment, her father would certainly put him six feet under, or in a full body cast.

Kristina got up from the bed and grabbed her antibiotics from her purse. She knew that she probably should have told Jeff that she had an STD, but it wouldn't have made a difference anyway, as she'd been sleeping with him almost daily for the past two weeks. She looked at her watch, and knew that at this point, her mother and sister must have already found out that she wasn't at the hospital anymore, and were probably searching for her. She didn't want them to worry about her, so she figured that she might want to call them and let them know not to look for her, that she'd be home when she was good and ready. She decided that she should call Sam because she would probably be the calmer of the two.

--- "Hey Sam, its ---"

Sam was shocked that her sister was on the other line.

--- "KRISTINA! Where the hell are you!? Mom and I are worried sick about you?"

'_Well there goes that assumption that Sam would be calm.'_ Kristina thought.

--- "I'm fine. I just needed to get out of that place for a little bit, so you don't need to worry about me; I'm ok. I'll come back when I get my mind right."

Alexis, hearing that Kristina was on the line, grabbed the phone from Sam.

--- "Kristina, this is your mother,—"

Kristina interrupted Alexis midsentence.

--- "Mom, I don't want to talk to you. If I did, I would've called you; can you please put Sam back on the phone?"

If Alexis could have reached through the phone to throttle her daughter at that point, she probably would have. Fuming, she handed the phone back to Sam who attached a wired headset to her phone so Alexis could listen in one ear jack, and Sam the other.

--- "Ok, Kristina, can you please tell me where you're at?"

--- "Sam, I already told you that I'm fine, but I'm not yet ready to come home. I don't want to deal with Mom finding a new and innovative way of punishing me. I'm not trying to be handcuffed to her for the next month. I just want some space –"

--- "Kris, you're 15, you can't be out on your own! Come on, honey, if you don't want to go home, you can stay with me at my place. Mom will be fine with that. We just don't want you to be out on your own."

Kristina thought that was a great solution, but she still wasn't ready to leave. She wanted to talk to Jeff first, and let him know that if he wanted her to sleep with his friends for money, she couldn't be with him; She didn't want to have such a conversation over the phone.

--- "Sam, just give me a few hours, I'll come back by the end of the day."

Sam looked at her mother, who rolled her eyes and nodded her head.

--- "Ok, Kris, you have until eight tonight to come back, otherwise we'll come find you."

--- "Thanks Sam. I love you."

Sam's heart nearly broke; Kristina sounded like a little girl again.

--- "I love you too baby."

Kristina hung up the phone with her sister. She was only gone from the hospital for about two and a half hours, but she missed her family, and she felt bad for making them worry about her. She almost felt bad for the way that she had treated her mother, but she really didn't want to deal with being scolded and lectured.

Jeff told her that his class was two hours long, and he had a short break, followed by another class that was only fifty minutes long. He had been gone for about thirty minutes, so Kristina needed to find a way to kill time. She didn't want to go outside because she knew other people at PCU, including Lulu, Lucky's sister. Even though Lulu wasn't one to go to class very often, Kristina didn't want to take the chance of going out on campus, and bumping into her on the day that she actually decided to show up. So she decided that she would shower, and watch a movie while she waited for Jeff to come back.

* * *

Sam hung up the phone with Kristina and looked to Spinelli, who was sitting at his desk at McCall and Spinelli, P.I. Spinelli gave her the thumbs up as soon as she ended the conversation. Alexis gave a sigh of relief.

--- "So you know where she is?"

--- "Yes, the Jackel has pinpointed the Rebellious Hellion's position at the Port Charles University campus!"

Sam knew that she had to be with Jeff at that point.

--- "Mom, she's gotta be with that Jeff kid I found her with yesterday!"

Alexis was pissed. If Sam had given her this kid's information when she asked for it, Kristina would not have been able to go with him again, and do whatever the hell it was that she was doing at the moment. Sam noticed the look on her mother's face; she couldn't blame Alexis for being upset at her because she was mad at herself as well.

--- "Sam, I need all the information you can get on this guy, right NOW."

--- "Ok, well, all I know if that his name is Jeff, and he's going to med school next semester. – Spinelli, I need you to get onto the PCU network, and look up the student IDs of senior guys by the name of Jeff or Jeffrey. I'll take a look at their pictures, and we'll get his information from there."

Spinelli found ten guys who matched the first name of Jeff or Jeffrey. Sam looked through them, but didn't find the guy she was looking for. Alexis interjected.

--- "How about middle names?"

Spinelli found three guys. Again, none of them were Jeff. She had an idea.

--- "Spinelli, do last names! His last name might be Jeffries or just Jeffrey. Check everything again if that doesn't work under a different spelling, like GEOFFREY. Also, add in Junior guys--"

Alexis interrupted.

--- "I thought this kid was going to med school next semester?"

--- "Yeah, well some schools have intensive programs that allow students to go straight through from college to med school. If that's the case, he would be a junior, so his senior year would become his first year of med school. I don't want to miss anything."

Spinelli typed in the information again. He pulled up seven guys. Sam looked at each of them.

--- "Oh my God, there he is! Leonard H. Jeffries; he's a junior and in the PCU Accelerated Medical School Program! Spinelli – Um, Mom, I need you to close your ears for this--"

Alexis gave her daughter a confused look, but figured that whatever it was that she was about to say, if she heard it, as the DA she would have no choice but to prosecute her daughter; so she did as she was asked.

--- "Spinelli, I need you to log onto the PCPD database and look this kid up. I wanna know if he's had any previous arrests and if he's been involved in anything involving minors.--- Mom, I think you can uncover your ears now."

Sam gave her mother a hopeful, yet scared look. Alexis knew exactly what her daughter was thinking. If this kid had been so terrified to be caught yesterday with a minor, why was he with her again? This Jeff guy had to have some sort of attraction to underaged girls.

--- "Um Fair Samantha, the Jackal has some unnerving information. It appears that the young man you know as Jeff is not 21, but 26. This Pimp of Child Corruption was born Henry Geoffrey Leon, III, but after he spent four years in prison for soliciting sex with a minor, he managed to change his name to Leonard H. Jeffries, and circumvent the required registration onto the Sex Offender Registration Database."

Both Sam and Alexis' faces paled at the news that Kristina was now with a sex offender! They needed to get do PCU and find her.

--- "Ok, we need to get Kristina RIGHT NOW! Damn it, Samantha, you should've given me this information earlier!"

--- "Don't you DARE blame me for this, Alexis! If I had given you the information about him before, I seriously doubt you would've been able to find out about him anyway! I didn't even have his full name to begin with! You're the one who should've been watching Kristina in the first place! You clearly underestimated her ability to con you into thinking that she were in the library or at some academic field trip, while she was sexing it up at _my_ place!"

Alexis was taken aback by Sam calling her by her first name, which she only did when Alexis had truly crossed a line with her, and by the fact that she blamed her for Kristina's current predicament with a sex offender. Alexis knew that she was wrong to blame Sam for all this, because Sam was right; how the hell didn't Alexis suspect something was up when Kristina was out late. She pulled Sam to her.

--- "I'm sorry sweetheart; it really is my fault."

Sam felt bad for the way that she reacted. She didn't mean to blame her mother as she did, but she did find it hard to swallow that Kristina was able to sneak out consistently. Sam knew that Alexis tried her best with Molly and Kristina, but clearly her sister had their mother wrapped around her finger.

--- "I'm sorry too Mom. I didn't mean to blame you for all this; I know you try your best."

--- "Well, clearly my best wasn't good enough, but that's a discussion for another time, we need to find Kristina."

* * *

When Kristina finished showering, she was shocked to find Jeff back from class waiting for her.

--- "Hey Jeff, you're back early."

--- "Yeah, I decided to skip out of class early to spend time with my favorite girl. Here, I bought you a sandwich and a drink."

--- "Thanks!"

Kristina ravaged the food; she hadn't had anything to eat since earlier that day, and she was sure that she had vomited all of it up. Within minutes of finishing her meal, Kristina was passed out on the bed.

* * *

Alexis made calls to Mac to get his officers to Jeff's PCU dorm room. She let him know that this Jeff character was a sex offender, and it was imperative that they got her daughter out of his apartment immediately. Alexis and Sam drove to the campus themselves, and met the officers there. Together they stormed the dorm room. Neither Kristina nor Jeff was anywhere to be found; all they found of hers was her cell on the bedroom desk.


	14. Mercy

Note: I do not own any rights to the characters.

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

Alexis was in mama bear mode now. She needed to get her daughter away from this sexual predator as soon as possible, and she would stop at nothing to ensure that she found Kristina safe and sound. Unfortunately, things were not looking good as her daughter's clothes were lying on the floor of the room. Alexis was nervous; if, God forbid, this guy touched her, or caused any harm to be done to her, she was going to make sure that he found himself in prison as some big guy's play thing.

Alexis grabbed Kristina's cell phone and found Jeff's number in there. She handed the phone to Sam, tapping on the phone number.

--- "Sam, get Spinelli on the phone right now and tell him to track down where the cell phone attached to that number is currently located."

Mac was shocked that Alexis was having Spinelli get the information instead of using the PCPD's tech guys.

--- "Alexis, why don't you let the PCPD handle this?"

--- "Are you kidding me, Mac? The PCPD has proven on more than one occasion that they have incompetent tendencies. I will _not _have my daughter out with this guy longer than she needs to be. From what I've seen, Spinelli is the best at what he does, and I want the best. The PCPD can arrest this freak after we've found them."

Mac knew arguing with Alexis was futile at best, so he had his men get the number from Kristina's phone, and get to work.

* * *

Jeff loaded Kristina, who was wrapped up in a sheet, into the backseat of his friend Kevin's car. He started the engine and made his way to the back entrance of Mercy Hospital. He parked the car in an out of way, inconspicuous spot of the lot, unnoticeable from the entrance, where he met Kevin and his other friend Will, who were waiting for him with a stretcher in tow.

Jeff placed Kristina onto the stretcher and wheeled it down a long corridor.

* * *

Alexis continued to bark orders at the officers completely ignoring Mac's protests.

--- "Hey you! I want you to search through this kid's car for any fingerprints belonging to my daughter! I want this car torn apart for any sign that she might have been in the car! – You, what's your name? I want to know who this kid hangs around! – Lucky, I want you to find out where he hung out! – Someone needs to take his ass to whatever hospital is associated with this early admission program! Where does this kid work? Someone find that out! I WANT TO KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM!"

Meanwhile, Sam was on the phone with Spinelli tracking down the location of Jeff's phone number. She also decided to play it safe by having the recent calls he dialed checked and having their locations pinpointed.

--- "Spinelli, I need you to check the other numbers that were called from that cell recently – Look, if this freak has my sister, and he plans on using her as a plaything, he's going to invite other guys to be with her. So if we can find out where these phones are located, if they happen to be together, we'll be able to find Kristina. SPINELLI, STOP RAMBLING AND GET ME THE DAMN INFORMATION! Call me back."

Sam slammed the phone shut, and regretted having yelled at Spinelli; she knew that he was just as nervous as she was. She walked over and pulled Alexis, who was about to get into a screaming match with Mac, to the side.

--- "Ok, I've got Spinelli looking up the location of Jeff's phone, as well as any others he recently dialed. Have they found anything yet?"

--- "No, Mac is being the ultimate tight-ass right now, and proving exactly why the PCPD is so damned inefficient. I swear if Kristina is harmed in any way due to their incompetence, Mac will have to answer to me."

Sam gave her mother's hand a squeeze.

--- "Don't worry, Mom, whatever they're doing, we'll counter. We're going to find Kristina with or without their help."

Sam walked out of Jeff's bedroom and searched the kitchen. She noticed that there was a plate and glass sitting in the sink. Immediately, she knew, without a doubt in her mind, that Jeff had to have slipped something into her sister's drink or food; wherever Kristina was, she was unconscious. Sam called Mac over.

--- "Commissioner, I need you to have these dishes tested for drugs; I guarantee you that my sister was drugged."

Mac was getting fed up with the Davis women running the show on his investigation.

--- "Sam, I'm getting tired of you and your mother trying to run the show here. Let my officers do their jobs! – Lucky, bag these dishes, and have the lab put a rush on them."

Just then, Sam's phone began to ring; it was Spinelli.

--- "What do you have Spinelli?"

--- "Well it seems that none of the numbers associated with the phone number you gave me are able to be currently tracked."

--- "Spinelli what are you talking about, they're cell phones, of course they're able to be tracked—Wait! Unless they're either turned off or out of range right?"

--- "That is correct, Fair Samantha."

--- "Well, is there a way for you to find out where they were last, _before_ they were either shut off or went out of range?"

--- "Yes, I will get that information to you in – YES! The Jackal has procured a common destination!"

--- "WHERE SPINELLI?!"

--- "MERCY HOSPITAL!"

Sam snapped the phone shut and called her mother over to her.

--- "The last location of this kid's phone was at Mercy! They have to be there somewhere!"

Alexis grabbed Sam and gave her a huge kiss. She went over to Mac and told him the information.

--- "Mac, we need to get to Mercy RIGHT NOW!"

* * *

Kristina woke up to find her mouth taped shut, her arms were tied above her head, and each of her legs was tightly tied to stirrups. She was covered with a sheet, but she was completely undressed underneath. Tears welled in her eyes, as she had no idea how she got there, and whether or not she had been raped. She looked around her surroundings noticed several gurneys, some empty, and some with people on them; the people, however, were clearly dead. _"Oh my God! I'm in the morgue." _Kristina thought; she wanted to scream out for help, but there was no one to help her.

Jeff entered the room with a smile on his face; he was alone. Kristina felt the tears rolling down her face, she was hoping that what she thought was going to happen didn't; she had never wanted her mother more than at that moment.

* * *

Lucky volunteered to drive Sam and Alexis to the hospital followed by Mac and back up. While in the car, Sam called Spinelli back.

--- "Spinelli, can you tell me what parts of the hospital have low cell phone range? — Ok, now look up information as to where Jeff has access at the hospital. -- I mean, he's not going to be stupid enough to bring my sister to a busy area, he has to bring her someplace secluded — The security cameras picked up an image of a guy unloading a body from a _car _onto a gurney in the back of the hospital?!"

Alexis, listening to the conversation, grabbed Sam's hand at the thought that Kristina was a 'body,' rather than a living person. Sam continued to talk to Spinelli.

--- "Ok, so the guy was with two others, and they wheeled the gurney through a door in the back of the hospital? Well what the hell is located in the back of the hospital? Isn't that the morgue?"

--- "No Fair Samantha, the morgue is in the underlayer of the hospital, but attainable only from another portion of the building! The area where the evildoers appear to be wheeling the gurney is the research facility."

--- "Wait, research Spinelli? What the hell are you— wait, research as in human research? Like where bodies are donated to science, research?"

--- "That is correct. And it appears that the Pimp of Child Corruption last swiped into the area approximately 15 minutes ago!"

Sam once again hung up on Spinelli.

--- "Oh my God! LUCKY! You need to drive to the back of Mercy! Jeff swiped his card back there 15 minutes ago! That's where he's keeping Kristina! Oh my God, hurry up!"

Lucky put his sirens on and radioed to Mac their destination.

* * *

Kristina wanted to die from the moment Jeff came near her; her tears burned her eyes. Kristina prayed harder than she had ever prayed in her life. She hoped to God that someone would come and save her before anything else happened to her. She had no idea what happened between the time she had finished the food Jeff brought for her, and the present time, but she knew that being awake for what might happen next would be far worse than what may have happened while she was unconscious.

As he approached her, he whispered,

--- "Don't cry, sweetheart, you'll get your cut. I've already had you, so I think I'll pass this time. I just need to get you ready for our guests."

Jeff had been doing this for the past 5 years since he got out of prison at the age of 22. With the help of his family fortune, he was able to secretly change his name, and avoid being placed on the sex registry.

Fresh out of prison, with a small amount of money his family gave him prior to cutting him off for shaming their name, he made his way through small towns where he sought out little rich girls, such as Kristina, who craved attention. Because he looked much younger than he actually was, he had always been able to attract these young girls, tell them he loved them, and then convince them to have sex with his friends for money. The girls were typically runaways, so they accepted the sub-par living arrangements he was able to procure for them. From the money they made by sleeping with his friends, and friends of friends, and so on, he gave each girl a small amount of the their earnings. Before he knew it, he had a small fortune forming.

When Jeff arrived in Port Charles, he thought about putting an end to his sex ring, but it had been proving so lucrative, he couldn't stop. While he lived in other parts of the country, he had, as he would call them, his "under-pimps" collecting the money that his girls earned, and sending him his very large cut of it. So he had been set for money, and really didn't need any more. He didn't like the idea that Kristina was the D.A.'s daughter, but she was so cute, that he couldn't resist her. When Kevin approached him about getting with Kristina, Jeff decided to take the risk!

Although he found her to be a natural beauty, Jeff applied make-up to Kristina's face. He brushed her hair, made sure that she was picture perfect. He knew that they would not be interrupted in the research lab because it was after-hours, and no one worked in the lab passed 5 o'clock. He looked at Kristina, and gave her a kiss on the lips.

--- "God you're beautiful. You'll do great!"

He winked at Kristina, and let Kevin into the room.

--- "As I told you its $125, but since you've been such a help, just give me $100."

--- "Here you go, buddy! How long do I have?"

--- "You've got thirty minutes, kid. Enjoy her!"

--- "I sure will!"

Jeff left the room, and Kevin closed the door behind him.


	15. Backstabbers

**Note:** I do not own the rights to any of these characters.

WOW! This chapter was sooo hard to write! I kept getting writer's block! I hope you like it! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! Let me know what you think! (I've already brainstormed the next chapter)

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

As they pulled to the back of Mercy Hospital, they noticed Agent Raynor directing men in all directions. Alexis walked right up to him demanding information.

--- "What the hell is going on?!"

--- "Ah, Ms. Davis, lovely to see you!"

--- "Agent Raynor, I'm not in the mood to deal with your incessant flirting right now! Why is the FBI here?"

Agent Raynor loved to see DA Alexis Davis taking charge; he found it extremely sexual. He didn't know what it was about her; no matter the situation, he just couldn't, whenever he saw her, resist the urge to flirt.

--- "Because we have reason to believe that a notorious pedophile known throughout the Midwest for child prostitution sex rings is in the building. Why are you here?"

--- "My 15 year old daughter is inside of that building being held by that sick pedophilic freak!"

He rubbed Alexis' arm.

--- "Well, Ms. Davis, don't worry, we'll get this guy out."

Alexis pulled his arm away from her; she was so disgusted with his overt gestures towards her.

--- "Agent Raynor, I'm not concerned about you getting him out! I'm concerned about my daughter being raped before you're able catch him!"

--- "Ms. Davis, you have to trust me, no more harm than she had already experienced prior to being brought here, will come to your daughter. You have my word."

She did not know what to make of his promise, but she knew damn well that she wasn't about to wait around for her daughter to be brought out traumatized by the incident. As Sam was walking towards them, Alexis moved away him, grabbed Sam's hand and turned her in the opposite direction of Agent Raynor, and walked away with Sam in tow. When they were out of earshot, Alexis whispered,

--- "Honey, get Spinelli on the phone right now; tell him to find a different way for us to get into this hospital, and to that research area. There has to be multiple entrances and exits. I'm not waiting for these idiots to get Kristina out of there."

Sam was curious as to how the FBI came to know about Kristina being in the building. She didn't bother asking her mother as getting Kristina out of the hospital and away from Jeff was of the utmost importance; time was of the essence.

* * *

Jeff decided to take a walk around the hospital for the next hour as Kevin would be preoccupied for thirty minutes "getting to know" Kristina, and Will, who had already paid him, was waiting his turn. Jeff was acquainted with many people, namely female nurses, at the hospital, so he knew that finding something to do for the next hour would not be very difficult.

Kevin closed the door behind him, and approached Kristina. Kristina was so scared she was shivering. He walked slowly towards her, and stood at her side. He put his finger to his mouth, telling her to keep quiet, and leaned down to her ear. He then whispered something before slowly, peeling the tape from her mouth. He then untied her hands and feet, and ensured that the sheet was securely wrapped around her. He helped her off the gurney, and pointed to the back exit of the room.

Kristina didn't understand what was going on, but she was grateful to be free. She securely wrapped the sheet around her and made her way across the room to the exit. She pushed the door open, but a siren rang out throughout the room and perhaps the hospital.

* * *

From the moment that Spinelli informed Sam of Kristina's possible location at Mercy Hospital, he hacked into the hospital security system in anticipation of Sam calling requesting information on the easiest ways to get into the research lab. After several failed attempts, he was finally able to get a video surveillance of the whole area and located the room where Kristina was held. Just as he was about to call Sam, she called him.

--- "Fair Samantha, I bring good tidings! The Jackal has procured video surveillance of the room where the Pimp of Child Corruption has imprisoned the Rebellious Hellion! The Jackal is able to view the room, and unfortunately, the dastardly Pimp is in the room with her presently—"

--- "SPINELLI! What is he doing to my sister right now?!"

Sam pulled her mother over to a corner, and pointed to her phone. Alexis moved her ear close to listen to what Spinelli was saying.

--- "Well, it does not appear as though the Pimp of Ill Repute has violated the young Hellion, however, he is presently placing cosmetics over her face, and brushing her hair—Wait, he's just finished and now letting somebody else into the room! They've exchanged money… Now this disgusting patron of amour is walking towards your sister--"

Alexis about to storm into the hospital, but Sam pulled her back.

--- "Wait! He's untied her! The Rebellious Hellion is running toward the exit on the other side of the room!"

Suddenly an alarm went off audible throughout the hospital and just outside where the FBI, PCPD, Sam and Alexis were standing.

--- "Spinelli, what the hell is going on? Why are there sirens going off here?"

--- "Well it seems as though when the young Hellion made haste to freedom, the exit door the Good Samaritan Patron indicated to her was in case of Emergency only, and therefore once she opened the door, the sirens went off! – Oh no! The system has gone into lock down! The Jackal has lost visual of the area!"

--- "DAMNIT! Do you know if my sister got out?! – Mom, go tell Mac and Agent Raynor that the alarm is from the human research lab where this freak is keeping Kristina! Tell them they need to get down there right now!"

As Alexis ran to Agent Raynor, Sam snuck passed the FBI, and into the main entrance of the hospital to try to make her way down to the research lab.

He sent his men into the building towards the research lab as soon as the alarms went off. She continued speaking to Spinelli, but only in a low whisper, so as not to attract attention to herself.

--- "Yes! I believe that she made it out of the room, but because the system has locked me out, I don't know where she is presently. I will try to override the security system."

Sam wanted to scream; they were so close, but so far away!

--- "Ok how do I get to Kristina from the main entrance of the hospital?"

Sam didn't want to lose signal from her cell, but she also needed to find a quick way to get to her sister. Spinelli was working on two different computers looking at the map of the hospital, as well as attempting to override the hospital's security system so that he could find Kristina's current whereabouts.

--- "According to the map of the hospital, if you descend the steps in the west wing of the hospital, you will encounter a long corridor. There you will be lead to the entrance in which the dastardly Pimp entered and exited the room. However, you will be able to bypass said entrance by cutting through another room – One moment! YES! I've got visual!"

--- "SPINELLI! Do you see my sister anywhere?! AND WHERE THE HELL IS JEFF NOW?"

* * *

Prior to untying her and freeing her from the gurney, Kevin whispered to Kristina, _'Don't worry, I'm with the FBI, I won't let anything happen to you. I need you to run through the door over there; it will lead you to a storage room. Don't be scared when you get to that room, there are more dead bodies in there. I need you to get in there, hide and wait for me. I'm gonna get you out of here.'_

Kristina did exactly as she was told, and pushed through the door. The sirens went off, which scared her because she wasn't sure if the FBI agent had anticipated that to happen. In any case, she had to find someplace to hide.

The room was freezing. She didn't know how she would be able hide in the room as it was an open area. She figured the best thing to do would be to do as the others in the room did. She found an empty gurney, and lied on it, keeping her head fully covered with the sheet wrapped around her; she practiced holding her breath.

* * *

When Alexis returned from speaking to Agent Raynor, Sam was gone; knowing her daughter, she knew that she snuck into the hospital to find Kristina on her own. She saw Lucky standing to the side speaking with Mac.

--- "Lucky! Sam's gone inside the hospital! I don't know what this guy Jeff is capable of, I want you to go find her!"

Lucky still loved Sam despite the fact that they broke up. This, however, was the exact reason why he couldn't be with her: when there was danger, instead of running from it, Sam had a tendency to run straight into the fire.

--- "Alright, I need to go find her."

* * *

When Jeff walked off for a break, Will was relieved. He could not imagine sitting next to that creep for another minute. As soon Jeff was out of sight, Will radioed in to Agent Raynor, letting him know that Jeff was headed up the elevator.

Will had been working undercover for months tracking Jeff's every move. While he was disgusted by the fact that Jeff had gotten involved with a 15 year old, he was instructed not to get involved as that was not his main mission: capturing Jeff in the act of soliciting others' involvement in his child prostitution sex ring. Will felt horribly for having allowed Jeff to continuously have sex with Kristina, but he figured that if it weren't Kristina, it would've been someone else, and interfering with Jeff's everyday affairs would've foiled the whole investigation.

Will worked at the lab with Jeff since the beginning, so he also had access to the room. He swiped his card through, and met with Kevin.

--- "Hey, great news, Jeff has gone for a walk for an hour, Raynor's going to get him, but we need to get Kristina out of here!"

Kevin had also been working undercover for Agent Raynor. He had not anticipated that Jeff would leave he and Will such a large window of opportunity to get Kristina out of the hospital as he has, but his years in the field taught him that despite any supposed window of time allotted, the faster you moved to get your hostage free, the better. He ran into the storage room where he told Kristina to hide, and found her hiding on a gurney.

--- "Let's go sweet pea. We're taking you out to your mom."

He radioed to Agent Raynor,

--- "Sir, we've got the minor. We're bringing her out now."

Kristina was so relieved to hear that she was going to be free from this hell. She got off the gurney, and tightened the sheet around her. Kevin escorted her from the storage room, where they found Will waiting to help bring Kristina out of the hospital.

* * *

Jeff was headed up in the elevator of the hospital when he heard the sirens go off. _"Shit! What the hell is going on?_" He knew that whatever it was, he needed to get back downstairs. Just as the elevator doors opened onto the lobby, and were about to close, he saw a familiar face walk past.

Jeff stopped the doors from closing, and pursued this lovely stranger, who had caused him such embarrassment that day in her apartment, hearing her scream at the person on the other line about Jeff's current whereabouts. He reached her as she was headed into the stairwell, causing her cell phone to drop, holding her arms with one arm, and a switchblade with the other.

--- "Here I am sweetheart."

He then stabbed Sam in the back, and carried her down the steps toward the storage room filled with bodies donated for human research.


	16. Stains

**NOTE**: I do not own the rights to any of the characters.

So, I'm supposed to be working from home and reading cases for work, but here I am typing away as the muse struck.

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

Spinelli was on the phone with Sam when all of a sudden he heard shuffling, a gasp, and what sounded like falling down the steps.

--- "Fair Samantha! Fair Samantha! Are you alright?"

Suddenly the phone filled with static and went dead. Spinelli was nervous as to what might have happened to Sam; he frantically searched through the lobby camera surveillance to see if he could catch a glimpse of her. Nothing. He knew that she was headed toward the stairwells, so he went through the video surveillance until he saw her being carried down the steps by the Dastardly Pimp. Spinelli knew that something terribly wrong had occurred, and needed to get help for Fair Samantha.

Spinelli grabbed his cell phone and dialed, as he stuffed his laptop in his bag and made haste to Mercy, which was only a two-minute drive from the office.

* * *

Lucky was not entirely familiar with the layout of this hospital, so he ripped a map off the wall and followed it to where the research lab must have been. He knew that Sam would have been walking toward that direction, as that was where Kristina was believed to be held there. As he walked toward the west wing, he cursed Sam for putting herself once again in danger.

While he, Mac, and the rest of the PCPD officers were precluded from taking an active role in rescuing Kristina, they ran background checks on this Jeff guy and discovered that he was not only a pedophile, but that he had a violent past. It seemed that Jeff not only forced dozens of young girls into prostitution, but he beat them regularly. They discovered that a couple of the girls found to be involved in these rings turned up missing entirely; foul play was suspected.

* * *

Jeff carried a bleeding Sam down the stairwell; she was in and out of consciousness, and losing a lot of blood. As he passed her fallen cell phone, he stepped on it.

The sirens had ceased ringing, so he was able to better concentrate on his next move: taking Kristina, and getting out of the hospital before anyone else got in his way.

He quietly entered the corridor and snuck through the door leading to the freezing storage room. He placed Sam, who was now unconscious, onto a gurney, far in a corner. He looked at her for a few minutes, then covered her completely with a sheet. He then swiped his card to gain entrance into the lab, longing to see his prized jewel.

* * *

Alexis would've given her life for her daughters. As she listened to Mac explain to her the information they had discovered about Jeff, she was terrified at the thought of both her girls being in such danger; she wanted to wring Sam's neck for running into the hospital alone. Alexis prayed that she would be able to wrap her arms around Sam and Kristina, and tell them how much she loved them, but she felt a horrible painful feeling in the pit of her stomach that something had gone terribly wrong. While willing the pain away, Alexis jumped at the loud vibrating in her pocket.

--- "Hello?"

--- "MOTHER OF THE GODDESS?! It is I, the Jackal! We have a big problem!"

--- "Spinelli what is going on?"

--- "It appears that Fair Samantha may have been attacked by the Pimp of Child Corruption! I am on my way to you, I will arrive in…"

Spinelli was right behind her.

--- "no time."

* * *

Will, Kristina, and Kevin were making their way down the corridor toward the stairwell, when they noticed long lines of blood on the floor. Kevin put Will and Kristina into the elevator that would lead them out of Mercy; he did not want the young girl to be anymore traumatized by this situation than she already was. Upstairs, Raynor's men would be there waiting, for them.

When they were gone, Kevin followed the blood into the storage room.

Alexis was hysterical.

--- "What the hell do you mean Sam was attacked?"

Mac and Agent Raynor walked over to find out what Spinelli had suspected. Although Spinelli was nervous about showing Agent Raynor the information he had on his laptop (the fact that he hacked onto the hospital's security system), he did not want to risk Sam's life by leaving anything out.

--- "Well, the Jackal was informing Fair Samantha of the Rebeliious Hellion's suspected current location. Fair Samantha was headed toward the west wing stairwell, when the Jackal heard a drop, and gasp, then the phone went dead. When the Jackal searched through surveillance, Fair Samantha was being carried down the stairwell by the Dastardly Pimp."

Alexis was in tears as Spinelli confirmed her suspicions; this was the cause of the pain in the pit of her stomach. Her mother's intuition told her that Sam was gravely injured, and it was only a matter of time before she lost her daughter forever.

--- "Did it appear as though Sam were a—a-live?"

Saying those words broke Alexis' heart, but she needed to know. Spinelli noticed Alexi's trepidation; he put his hand on hers.

--- "Mother of the Goddess, I do not know. However, I will continue to search throughout the lower level of this facility for wherever this Evil Beelzebub has taken Fair Samantha."

Just then, from the side of the hospital, being led out by Raynor's men, Kristina emerged.

* * *

Lucky found his way to the west wing stairwell. He opened the door and saw a pool of blood on the floor, and a broken cell phone at the bottom of the landing. He ran down to look at the phone, and new immediately that it belonged to Sam. He drew his gun, and continued down the steps. When he finally made it to the basement level, he followed the splatters and lines of blood toward the storage room.

* * *

Jeff was pissed when he entered the lab and saw that Kristina was no longer there; he knew that Kevin had something to do with it. As he turned to leave the room, he heard shuffling in the storage room. He decided to hide, with his switchblade at the ready, just in case someone decided to surprise him. Within seconds, his wish was granted.

As Kevin stepped into the room, Jeff moved in behind him, but Kevin was quicker than he was. Kevin heard Jeff moving, grabbed him by the arm, knocking the knife from his hand, and slammed Jeff's head into the counter. Jeff was not about to go down without a fight. He feigned unconsciousness. Once Kevin stepped away, Jeff kicked him hard in the back of the legs causing him to fall over. Jeff was quickly on top of Kevin banging his head down into the ground.

Kevin managed to pull himself up, knocking Jeff off of him. Jeff lunged at him once more, but Kevin grabbed a tray and smacked him in the face with it, causing Jeff to fall to the floor. As he fell, he noticed his switchblade on the ground, and moved to lie on top of it. He laid still on the ground, with the blade underneath him, and waited for Kevin to make his move.

* * *

As Kevin had, Lucky followed the blood splatter to the storage room; he was shocked to see the room filled with dead bodies. The room was freezing, almost as cold as a freezer. He heard a commotion coming from the lab, but he new that it could not have involved Sam since she was clearly wounded; he prayed that he would be able to find her in time.

He began to search the room for Sam. He pulled the sheets off of numerous bodies until he saw a gurney far in the corner. He ran to it. He pulled the sheet off of it, and there she was, pale and lifeless. As he attempted to move her from the gurney, three FBI field agents wielding guns, emerged from behind him. He held his hands up, with his badge in his right hand, and identified himself.

--- "Lucky Spencer, PCPD."

Suddenly a scream was heard from the lab, causing the agents to run into the room. Lucky stayed behind and checked Sam for a pulse.

* * *

Alexis almost fainted when she saw Kristina emerge from the hospital. Kristina looked pale and terrified, but was relieved when she saw her mother running to her with her arms stretched out; she welcomed the embrace. Alexis hugged her daughter so tightly, and showered her with kisses. She wanted to ask her what happened, and whether or not she had been raped, but she decided to hold off until they were able to get Kristina examined at General Hospital. In the meantime, she held her daughter in her arms as Kristina begin to cry.

--- "Shh, baby, it's alright, I've got you. Don't cry; Mommy's going to take care of you."

Kristina held onto her mother for dear life, as though releasing her might cause her to be back with Jeff in that horrible room. Agent Raynor walked over and handed Alexis a long jacket to put on her daughter. Alexis gratefully accepted the jacket, moved with Kristina to a corner, and put the jacket on her, while getting her out of the sheet. When Kristina was completely covered by large jacket, Alexis called a PCPD cop over, and handed him the sheet, telling him that she wanted it sent to the lab to be checked for fluids. She then focused her attention back on her daughter.

--- "I'm so sorry Mommy!"

Alexis felt the tears falling to her face. She pulled her daughter to her again. She was so grateful to have Kristina safe and sound, but she cried for the increased pain she felt in the pit of her stomach as she knew that Sam was running out of time.

--- "We'll discuss this later baby. We have to get you to General Hospital, so that you can be examined. I don't want you at this hospital, but we have to wait before we go. Sam is in trouble, and I don't want to leave here until we find her."

Kristina remembered the blood on the floor in the corridor. She buried her head in her mother's chest and cried harder at the realization that the blood they had seen belonged to her sister.

--- "OH MY GOD! That was her blood!"

* * *

Kevin made his way toward Jeff, who fought to catch his breath.

--- "Freeze, don't move!"

As Kevin put the gun to Jeff's back prompting him to stand up, Jeff grabbed the switchblade and stabbed Kevin right in the side, causing him to falter and drop his gun; he screamed out in pain. Jeff stabbed him again, this time in the chest.

When Jeff got up threw Kevin in the corner, he turned around to see guns pointed at him.

* * *

Sam continued in and out of consciousness while lying under a sheet in the storage room. She found it difficult to breathe. She heard someone walk into the room, but she could not muster the strength to make her presence known. She knew that she was getting weaker, but she wanted to live, and fought hard to stay alive.

_--- "Hi Mommy! You're here!"_

_Sam was confused as to who could possibly be calling her Mommy, but when she looked at the little girl in front of her, she realized immediately._

_--- "Lila?"_

_The little girl was incredibly beautiful. She had a dark complexion, like Sonny, but two long dimples like Alexis. The little girl actually resembled Alexis, and would probably have been able to pass for Alexis' child, except she had Sam's dark silky hair, and clearly would have been, had she lived, as petite her mother._

_--- "Oh my God, Lila, you're beautiful!"_

_She smiled at her mother._

_--- "Thank you! I'm so glad you're here! Aunt Kristina and Uncle Danny said that you would come to me one day!"_

_Sam had never met Kristina, but she saw pictures of her aunt; she seemed like a gentle soul. Sam was happy to know that she and her brother were looking after her daughter. Lila smiled at Sam._

_--- "So, are you here to stay?!"_


	17. Stay

Note: I do not own the rights to any of the characters

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

Kevin was in critical condition. Luckily for him the switchblade did not pierce his heart, but it still did sufficient damage. As the FBI Agents took Jeff into custody, the doctors and nurses rushed down to attend to Sam. Lucky immediately called Alexis,

--- "Alexis, I've got Sam."

Alexis, holding onto Kristina, began to cry. The pain in the pit of her stomach moved to her back; Alexis knew that whatever was wrong with her daughter, it was quite serious.

--- "Lucky, how is she?"

--- "Alexis, it doesn't look good. She lost a lot of blood, and her pulse is really weak. They're bringing her upstairs now, meet us there."

Alexis pulled Kristina toward the emergency room. Although she wanted to get out of that hospital and to General Hospital, Alexis was not willing to risk Sam's life having her transferred too soon. She decided to wait until she was stabilized, or got the okay, before having her moved.

Kristina still needed to be attended to. She told her mother that while she was not raped while in the hospital, she had no idea what happened during the time that she was drugged. While the doctors worked on Sam, Alexis arranged for a rape kit for Kristina. This was proving to be an absolute nightmare; one daughter was fighting for her life in one room, while the other was being probed and prodded because she wasn't sure if she was violated in the worst sort of way. Alexis felt as though she was drowning.

* * *

Sam was unconscious by the time the doctors arrived in the storage room.

_--- "So are you here to stay with me Mommy?"_

_Sam's heart melted at the sound of her little girl calling her Mommy._

_--- "Oh, baby, I would love to stay with you, but—"_

_Lila had tears in her eyes,_

_--- "Don't you want to be with me? Don't you want to be my mommy? I want to be with you!"_

_Sam began to cry. She wanted so badly to hold her daughter in her arms and to wipe the tears from her face, but as close as she was to her, she was still so far away._

_--- "Honey, I loved you since the moment you came to be! I wanted so badly to be your mommy, and I wanted to be with you, but it wasn't meant to be, and I have mourned for you everyday that you've been separated from me! But, I want to live, baby! I have to live –"_

_As she said this, the distance between she and Lila increased._

_--- "But Mommy, I love you! I want you to be with me, and to tuck me in at night! I don't like eating tofu, but Aunt Kristina makes me eat it. Grandma Kristin likes to make Swedish meatballs; I bet you'd like them! She wants to meet you Mommy! Don't you want to be with us?"_

_Tears were rolling down Lila's face as she pleaded with Sam to stay with her. Sam would have loved to stay with her, to see her brother again, to meet her Aunt Kristina, and her Grandmother Kristin, but as much as she loved her daughter, and missed her everyday, she loved her life. Sam wanted to be around for Alexis, and for Kristina and Molly. She wanted to find love and get married. She even wanted to have children, even if they had to be adopted._

_Sam wished that she could take Lila back with her. She wanted her mother to see how beautiful her granddaughter turned out to be, looking so much like her, but she knew that could never happen. Sam had too much to live for. _

_--- "Baby, I love you too, and I miss you! But I don't belong here, not yet at least. I know that you'll be fine, sweetheart. You have Uncle Danny and Aunt Kristina who'll take care of you until I come to be with you for good. Honey I have to go, but I'll see you later."_

Sam felt a shock run through her; she was back to life.

* * *

Kristina was beyond humiliated by the whole experience. She was poked and prodded, pictures were taken of bruises she did not even know existed on her body. She could not wait to go home and take a long hot shower.

Once the doctors were done with her, they stepped out of the room to speak with Alexis.

--- "DA Davis, it appears that your daughter may have recently had consensual sex, however seeing as there is bruising around the vaginal wall, around the wrists, and ankles, it is inconclusive as to whether or not she was actually raped. We know that she had been tied down, which would of course be the cause of the bruising on the wrists and ankles, but we cannot definitely say that she was in fact raped."

Alexis knew that this determination did not matter much because Jeff was going to go down for numerous charges, including statutory rape, attempted murder of her daughter and of Kevin. She requested that her daughter be given the morning after pill, as well as any STD prevention drugs. She then thanked the doctor for his help, and went in to see Kristina.

When she entered the room, Alexis saw the pain and humiliation in her daughter's eyes and smothered her with kisses.

--- "Honey, you don't know how worried I was about you. I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you! Don't ever do that again!"

--- "I'm sorry, Mommy. Everything – Everything, it's all my fault!"

Kristina broke down and cried in her mother's arms. Besides pure humiliation, she felt absolutely guilty about Sam being hurt. Kristina loved her sister terribly, and prayed that she would pull through this. She knew that had she not run off with Jeff, Sam would not be fighting for her life; it was her fault that Sam was stabbed in the back, and may now die. Alexis felt guilty because she knew that Kristina was right, but she could not very well tell her that; so, she just held her and let her sob.

--- "Shh, shh, sweetheart. We're going to get through this. No matter what, I need you to know how much I love you."

Kristina pulled away from her mother's embrace and looked her directly in the eyes.

--- "What if she dies? Will you love me then? What if I killed my sister?!"

Alexis was shocked by Kristina's question. She could never stop loving her children, no matter what they did. When Sam slept with Ric, although she was beyond angry with her, Alexis' love for her never faltered. She wiped the tears from Kristina's face, and pulled her face close to hers.

--- "I will _always_ love you, sweetheart. There's nothing that any of you girls can do that will stop me from loving you. I love you girls so much it hurts. Sam is going to pull through this."

Alexis kissed Kristina on the cheeks, but Kristina again pulled away, feeling as though she did not deserve her mother's love.

--- "HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT!? How could you possibly know that Sam is going to pull through?"

Alexis put her hands on either side of Kristina's face, forcing her to look at her.

--- "I _know_ this because I'm her mother! I can feel her pain deep inside of me, and I know that she's getting stronger as we speak. When she went into the hospital to look for you, I felt the danger she was in; I felt her dying! Now, I can feel her living! Honey, I told you, I love you girls so much it hurts; so much that when you're hurt, I can feel it, and when you're happy, I can feel that too. Sam will pull through this."

Kristina wrapped her arms around Alexis' neck, and sobbed.

--- "I love you too, Mommy."

A few minutes later, Sam's doctor knocked on the door, and entered. He handed Kristina a pair of scrubs to change into, which she gladly accepted. He asked Alexis to step outside so that she could discuss Sam's case.

--- "Kristina, I'll be right back. Why don't you change while I step outside?"

Alexis stepped outside with the doctor.

--- "How's my daughter?"

--- "I'm not going to lie to you DA Davis, she's in critical condition. Your daughter was stabbed in the back, moved to a different area of the hospital, and therefore, lost a lot of blood in the process. We're going to have to operate because she's suffered a spinal cord injury."

Alexis felt as though she were punched in the gut.

--- "Will she be paralyzed?"

--- "DA Davis, being that this is a spinal cord injury, paralysis is a high probability."

Alexis began to cry. She could only imagine how devastated Sam would be if she were paralyzed. Her daughter was independent, and active, she loved to swim! Alexis could not allow this to happen.

--- "Ok, I want my daughter transferred to General Hospital. She'll have the surgery there."

The doctor was shocked.

--- "But, ma'am, we are more than capable—"

Alexis interrupted him before he could continue,

--- "You're more than capable of having a piece of shit security facility here! How the hell is my young daughter captured and brought to this hospital, without a red flag sent up to security? What the hell did security do when the alarms went off throughout the building? NOT A DAMNED THING! And now, my daughter, who was STABBED in this hospital, on the first floor, no less, needs to have spinal cord surgery, and you think that I would allow you people to touch her? I DON'T THINK SO! I want her at General Hospital."

Alexis walked back into the room without allowing the doctor to say another word to her. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, and dialed GH.

--- "Hi, I need to speak to Patrick Drake, this is Alexis Davis. – Patrick, Sam's been stabbed in the back; we're at Mercy right now. She needs spinal cord surgery, but I will not allow anyone else to touch her, but you. – Thank you."

Patrick drew up the forms to have Sam immediately transferred to GH.

* * *

Sam was transferred to GH within the hour, and taken to surgery not too long thereafter. The surgery lasted several hours. While Alexis refused to leave her side, she sent Kristina home and told her that she would keep her posted on any new information. Nurse Epiphany encouraged Alexis to go home and get some rest as well, but Alexis refused to leave.

When the surgery was finished, Sam was wheeled to the Recovery Room. Patrick came out and spoke with Alexis.

--- "How is she?"

--- "It seemed that the knife did significant damage to her spinal cord, but I repaired it to the best of my ability. –"

Alexis let out a sigh of relief because she knew that the best of Patrick's ability was perfection.

--- "Now, Alexis, I don't want you to get your hopes up because there is a good chance that she may still be paralyzed. Sam is resilient, but the spinal cord is not, and she's in critical condition. I'm sure that the doctor at Mercy told you that Sam lost a lot of blood; when she was moved around the hospital, there is a chance that she may have suffered irreparable damages. I'm afraid that the significant damage may not have been receptive to the work that I did to fix her back. We have to wait until she wakes up to tell us whether or not she can feel her legs. If she has some sensation, that would be excellent, if she doesn't feel anything whatsoever, then we'll go from there."

Alexis felt a surge of emotion filling her again. She was tired of crying, as she had been doing nothing but that for the past two days; she just wanted good news for once.

--- "Thank you Patrick. Can I go sit with her?"

--- "Of course you can Alexis."

Alexis stepped into the room, and sat with Sam. She held her hand, and kissed it.

--- "Sam, baby, I love you more than you can ever know. I'm waiting for you, sweetheart; I need you to wake up for me."

* * *

Alexis laid her head along the edge of Sam's bed; within minutes, she was fast asleep.

Sam woke up to find her mother asleep. She hated to wake her, but she knew that if she didn't, Alexis would have the worst neck ache. Sam ran her hand through her mother's hair.

--- "M-mom."

Alexis began to stir.

--- "Mom. What's going on?"

Alexis looked up, and saw her daughter was awake.

--- "Oh, sweetheart, you have no idea how happy I am to see that you're awake!"

Sam was confused. The last thing she remembered was walking into Mercy to find Kristina, and then everything went blank. She tried to get up, but felt a horrible pain surge through her back. She screamed in pain.

--- "Mom, what happened!? Where's Kristina?"

Alexis got up to carefully push Sam back down into the bed.

--- "Honey, sit back, Kristina's fine. You were stabbed."

Alexis told Sam everything that had occurred. She let her know that without Spinelli's help, she would probably have died.

--- "I'm so happy that you two made it out of there safely."

Without thinking, Alexis patted Sam's leg. Tears streamed down Sam's face as she looked at her mother, then at the hand on her leg.

--- "Mom, why can't I feel your hand on my leg? OH MY GOD! I CAN'T FEEL MY LEGS!"


	18. Comfort

Note: I do not own the rights to any of these characters

I swear I'm becoming addicted to writing this story! LOL. I've got a week and a half off from work, so when I'm free, I'll bang this out. As I write each chapter, my brain is constantly spinning with where to bring the story, while respecting the integrity of standard mother/daughter relationships and merging that with what the writers have given us in regard to Alexis' with her daughters. [Hope that makes sense! You'll tell me if it doesn't ;o)].

Thank you all for your support and compliments on my story! I appreciate it. :o)

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

Kristina felt horrible. She went home, took a shower, and went directly to bed. She ignored Molly's questions about what was going on, ignored Viola's request that she join them for lunch, and ignored the messages on her cell from the numerous guys with whom she had been involved. The thought that she may have caused her sister to be paralyzed made Kristina sick to her stomach; she wanted to crawl into a dark hole and die. She lied in the fetal position, and cried herself to sleep.

Molly came into her room after Kristina had finally fallen asleep. Molly was beginning to believe that the stereotype that the youngest child was the most spoiled was a load a crap, seeing as for the past couple of days she spent most of her time with Viola than with her family. She missed her mother, Sam and even Kristina, who has not, for the past few months, been the nicest person in the world. She noticed that although Kristina was asleep, she was still crying. Molly climbed onto the bed, and lied beside her sister, wiping the tears from her face, as she had seen her mother do so many times before.

--- "It's okay Krissy, don't cry."

* * *

Sam was hysterical; she couldn't feel her legs, but the pain surging in her back was intense. Alexis tried to calm her down by increasing the pain meds in her IV, but she was inconsolable.

--- "Honey, calm down. Patrick is coming, and he'll run some tests. Come on, sweetheart, you have to relax; you're in pain and I don't want you to hurt yourself."

Sam cried so hard that she began to hyperventilate. Alexis called for help, and sat on the bed, and held Sam's hands. Alexis spoke to Sam in the most forceful, yet compassionate tone, she could muster, given the circumstances.

--- "Baby, look at me… Samantha, you have to breathe. I know you're scared, but you have to take it easy. Breathe."

Sam, although still crying, managed to catch her breath.

--- "Mom, I can't feel my legs! I'm paralyzed! What am I going to do?! Oh my God! I can't f*cking move them!"

Alexis' heart was breaking. Sam was an independent woman, who never liked to rely on anyone to do anything for her, and now she looked defeated and broken.

--- "Sam, we don't know anything yet. Let's wait for Patrick and see what he has to say about the situation. Then we'll go from there."

She heard her mother speaking, but she could not process the words. The only thing that Sam could concentrate on was the lack of any feeling or sensation in her legs, and it scared her to death. She was an active person, with an active job. How could she possibly work as a private investigator if she was getting around on wheels? She loved to swim in the lake, run, and box; now all that was implausible. She was angry.

--- "How the hell did this happen?! How is it that I'm always in this position, Mom?! I lost my baby, I lost my brother, I got shot, I got kidnapped, I got run over, I was attacked, and I can't have anymore kids. Just when I thought things could not possibly be any worse, I get stabbed, and will probably be paralyzed for the rest of my life! DAMN IT, MOM, WHY AM I ALWAYS GETTING THE SHORT END OF THE F*CKING STICK!?"

Sam fell back into the bed, ignoring the pain in her back, and cried harder than she had ever cried in her life. Alexis did not know what she could possibly tell her daughter to make her feel better because she knew that everything she had said was absolutely true. It seemed as though every card that was dealt her daughter was always the wrong one. She wanted to run away to a corner and cry her heart out for the pain that once again inflicted Sam, but she couldn't, had to be strong; Sam was going to need Alexis more than she ever did before. Alexis just brushed the hair from her distraught daughter's face, leaned forward, kissed her cheek, and softly whispered in her ear.

--- "Sweetheart, it's going to be alright. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. We'll get through this."

Patrick walked in and evaluated Sam. He pulled the covers up, and felt her legs. Nothing. He poked her feet with a pin. Still Nothing. He continued to poke her with the pin until he reached her hip, which was where she finally felt the prick. He did not like the looks of the situation, but since Sam was recovering from surgery, there was a chance that this could be temporary. He needed to bring her down for a CT Scan.

* * *

Kristina woke up to find Molly asleep beside her. She was grateful not to wake up alone; she hoped that when Molly found out why she was so upset, that she would not hate her. Kristina decided not to disturb her sister, so she went downstairs. She grabbed the phone and called her mother. Alexis picked up on the first ring.

--- "Hi baby. How are you feeling?"

Just hearing her mother so calm and sweet with her on the phone caused Kristina to feel the emotions rise to the surface.

--- "Hi, Mommy. Is Sam ok?"

Alexis did not want to answer that question until she got a definitive answer, and until she got home so that she could speak to Kristina face to face.

--- "Krissy, we don't know anything yet. The doctor's have taken her for tests. Honey, don't worry; whatever happens, we'll deal with it."

Alexis could hear Kristina sniffling on the other line.

--- "Baby, I love you, ok? Now, go wash your face, calm down, and get something to eat. I'll be home tonight; we'll talk then."

--- "Ok. I love you too, Mommy."

* * *

When they returned from the scan, Patrick asked Alexis to step outside so that they could speak privately, but Sam adamantly protested.

--- "Patrick, I'm not a f*cking child! You will _NOT _take my mother outside and talk about me as though I were some incompetent invalid! I'm a grown ass woman; you should be consulting ME, not Alexis!"

Alexis was shocked by Sam's outburst. Regardless of how horribly Sam was feeling, she had no right to act in such a way to someone who was only trying to help her. She glared at her daughter.

--- "SAMANTHA! You need to calm down, right now. Patrick is here to help you; lose the attitude!"

Sam knew she was wrong, but she hated when Alexis scolded her as though she were Kristina or Molly's age.

--- "Patrick, I'm sorry. Mom, I'm not a kid, I don't need you to scold me."

Alexis rolled her eyes.

--- "Well, Samantha, don't act like a child, and I won't treat you like one."

While Sam was down for the scan, Alexis decided that regardless of the results, she was going to treat Sam like she always had. She was not about to walk on eggshells around her daughter by hesitating to scold her when need be, and allowing her treat those around her horribly because she was once again dealt a bad card. As far as Alexis was concerned, Sam was going to be held accountable for her actions regardless of the situation, as she normally was. Regardless of the results, Alexis was going to get her daughter through this.

Sam knew that she was not going to win this battle with her mother. She simply crossed her arms, and glared at Patrick, daring him to take Alexis outside. Patrick noticed the look on Sam's face, so he spoke candidly.

--- "Well, it doesn't look good. The cord is a bit swollen right now, and despite the surgery, there is some damage. Now, it's too early to tell whether or not we can fix it, so we have to give the cord some time to heal, and some time for Sam to get stronger. For the time being, Sam will have to get around using a wheelchair. We'll start her up with physical therapy once her back is healed, and work on stimulating the cord."

Sam knew that this was going to be bad news for her. She just lied back in the bad, and closed her eyes, willing this to just be a nightmare. Alexis, seeing how upset Sam was, held her hand and kissed it.

--- "Patrick, do you know about how long it will be before we know if this is permanent?"

--- "I would say about three months. We need to give Sam's body a chance to heal, and then continue to monitor how her spinal cord heals. We don't want to rush this, Alexis."

--- "Thank you Patrick. When can I take her home?"

--- "She'll be fine to leave in a week. Call me if you need anything. Sam, I know this isn't the news you wanted to hear, but you have a lot of support in this. Let your mother help you do the everyday things until your back heals and especially until you learn to do them on your own again, ok?"

Sam looked up at Patrick, and rolled her eyes.

--- "Yea, I'm a grown independent woman who'll need her mother to help shower me, dress me, and perhaps wipe my ass; yea, that's not remotely humiliating at all. Thanks Patrick."

Alexis shrugged at Patrick, who just looked down, knowing how difficult of an adjustment this will be Sam. He left the two women alone.

Alexis turned to Sam and calmly remarked.

--- "Sam, that was uncalled for."

Sam looked her mother dead in the eyes.

--- "Mom, Patrick doesn't want me to do the simplest things on my own! I'm too old to have my mommy dressing me, and helping to bathe me, and all those private things that I should certainly be doing on my own. I'm _completely _dependent on you! I can't do _ANYTHING_ on my own anymore! Do you know how humiliating this is?"

Alexis put her hand to Sam's face.

--- "Honey, you should never feel humiliated around me. I'm your mother, and it's my privilege to take care of you. We've been in this position a couple of times before, but I think it was worse when we first found each other, and you were shot. You and I were always at odds, but there I was helping you with the exact things you need me to help you with now. Sweetheart, look at our relationship now; you're not only my daughter, but we've become best friends."

Sam sniffled,

--- "But this is different, Mom! I only needed your help for a few days; afterwards, I could still _walk_! I may be stuck like this _forever!_"

Alexis shook her head.

"Even if, God forbid, you're confined to the chair permanently, you'll learn how to do everything on your own again. There are so many people in the same predicament, Sam, and they live regular normal lives! Honey, I _know_ that this sucks! My goodness, how many times was I too weak, because of chemo, to get out of the tub and you had to help me get out? Do you think that was a picnic for me? When I was puking my brains out, weren't you there rubbing my back, and holding my hair back? When I was nauseous all day and night, _weren't you the one who brought me marijuana? _ You and I were far from friends, but you did it anyway! Honey, these are the things you do for the people you love, especially when it comes to mothers and daughters. I love you more than words can express, and I know how _terrifying _being in a wheelchair is going to be. I also know how humiliated you must feel by this experience, but honey, you're not helpless; you just need some help. Baby, that's what I'm here for; I want to help you get your life back together again. Sam, don't be ashamed to lean on me, because I'm always here for you."

She knew that her mother was right. Alexis was always the one constant in her life whenever she needed her the most, even when they're relationship was not remotely cordial. Despite all this, Sam was terrified of her new life, and she began to cry again. Alexis took her in her arms, and held her for as long as she needed.

* * *

It was well past midnight when Alexis finally walked into the lake house to find Kristina asleep on the couch; she had clearly been waiting for her mother to come home. She did not know how she was going to go about telling Kristina and Molly that Sam was currently paralyzed. Alexis was stressed over the whole situation because she knew that Kristina would be devastated and blame herself, but she did not know how Sam felt, and whether or not she was angry with her sister. Alexis did not want to bring the topic up until the next morning when the reality of her injury hit Sam, and she was able to accept it for what it was.

Alexis was exhausted after that day. She dropped her bag on the table, and rubbed Kristina's arm to wake her.

--- "Krissy, come on, you need to go to bed."

Kristina's eyes were red and puffy; she had clearly been crying all day.

--- "How's Sam?"

Alexis did not want to have this conversation with Kristina right then. She decided that she would wait until the next morning, after she had a chance to fully think about how she would break the news.

--- "Honey, we're going to discuss everything in the morning as a family, ok?"

Kristina saw the sad look in her mother's eyes.

--- "She's paralyzed isn't she?"

There was no avoiding the question now.

--- "Yes, but we don't know if its permanent or not. Dr. Drake said we have to give Sam's body a chance to heal."

Kristina just shook her head, and ran to her room. Alexis went up after her and found her sobbing on her bed. Alexis let her alone with her thoughts for a couple of minutes so she could change out of her clothes, and into her pajamas. Afterwards, she went back to Kristina's room, where she found her still sobbing. Alexis got into the bed, and pulled Kristina to her. Alexis had never held her daughters more than she had these past couple of days. Kristina laid her head onto her mother's chest, and cried until she fell asleep.

* * *

Kristina woke up the next morning in her mother's arms. She knew that Alexis was exhausted, so she slowly crawled out of bed, careful not to wake her. She needed to speak with Sam, and pray that she forgave her for causing her paralysis. Kristina took a quick shower, dressed, and grabbed her mother's car keys, leaving her a quickly written note.

"_Mommy, I'm sorry I took your car again. I need to see Sam."_

When she arrived at the hospital, she felt her stomach turn in knots. She walked down the hall towards Sam's room, feeling as though she would pass out at any moment, but she couldn't back out; she had to do this. She knocked on the door before she entered.

--- "Hi, Sam."

Sam was staring into space. Her face was tear stained, and her nose red. Her bed was filled with used tissues, but she didn't seem to notice. While she felt better than she did the day before, she woke up praying that it was all a bad dream. Unfortunately, when she realized that she could not get up to go to the bathroom on her own, and a nurse had to help her, she knew she was living a nightmare.

--- "Hi Kristina."

Kristina slowly walked into the room, and sat by her sister's bed. Sam noticed her apprehension.

--- "Kristina, I'm not going eat you; relax."

She smiled at that comment; Sam sounded like herself.

--- "Sam, I'm sorry. This is all my fault."

Sam looked at Kristina for a long time before she responded.

--- "Yea, you're right."


	19. Tears

Note: I do not own the rights to any of these characters.

A story with women seems to be filled with A LOT of tears! Geez louise, I feel like I'm making them cry every other line; but I think it's understandable, seeing the situation as it were. Do you agree?

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

Molly came running into Kristina's room when she saw her mother asleep in there. She ran onto the bed, and shook Alexis awake.

--- "Mommy! I haven't seen you in forever!"

Alexis felt bad because she knew that she had been neglecting her youngest daughter. She gave Molly a hug.

--- "Baby, I know! I'm so sorry; things have been going a little insane around here, and you haven't been given any attention. I need to talk to you about something very important."

Molly saw the worry in Alexis' eyes.

--- "Yesterday, Sam was involved in an accident that caused her to hurt her back; she had to have surgery. Well, the problem with hurting your back is that if you hurt it bad enough, it may cause you to lose sensation in your legs, therefore you become paralyzed. Basically, that's what has happened with Sam.

Molly's eyes opened wide.

--- "Sam can't walk anymore?"

--- "Well, for now, no she can't. However, Dr. Drake isn't sure about weather or not the damage is permanent. So, Sam is going to move home for a while; she's going to need a lot of help getting adjusted. Can you help me with that?"

Molly was sad over the situation. She could not understand how all of this could have happened to her sister. Alexis noticed the change in Molly's face.

--- "Do you want to come with me to see Sam?"

Molly nodded.

--- "Ok, so why don't you go take a shower and get dressed? I have to get ready and grab some things to bring your sister."

--- "Okay!"

Molly ran into the adjoining bathroom she shared with her sister.

* * *

Alexis went to Sam's room; she needed to bring her a week's worth of clothes and underwear. She opened the door to the walk-in closet, and saw all of her daughter's things hanging from bottom and top racks. Sam had already had a problem reaching her things on the top rack, but now that she would be in the wheelchair, it would be nearly impossible for her to reach those clothes without any help. Alexis sighed, grabbed what she needed and stepped out of the closet.

She then walked into Sam's bathroom to get her shampoo, body wash, toothpaste and toothbrush, as well as anything else she thought necessary. She stood in the bathroom for a couple of minutes and looked around. _"I need to get someone in here to put handicap bars in the shower, we're going to need a chair in there as well." _ She looked at the pedestal sink, and the mirror above it. _"Well, that's clearly not going to work. She won't be able to see herself when she's getting ready in the morning. I need to change this too." _ She looked at the toilet, and decided that a bar would be necessary there as well.

She went to back to her room, and started brushing her teeth. She looked at herself in the mirror. _"Damn Alexis, you look like shit…. Well I guess that's fine, since you feel like shit."_ She finished brushing her teeth, and put her toothbrush away. She stood at the sink for a few seconds, unable to move, feeling the anger boiling inside of her. Suddenly she screamed and knocked everything from the sink.

--- "DAMNIT! Why does everything go wrong for Sam? Why the hell can't anything ever be simple? God! Why can't you just give her a break, for once!? Is this some kind of cruel joke!? Well, guess what it's not FUNNY!"

Alexis continued throwing anything that she could get her hands on, until she collapsed on the floor sobbing for her daughter's pain.

Viola heard the commotion and ran into Alexis' room, and saw the mess all over the floor in her bathroom, and Alexis huddled in a ball sobbing.

--- "Alexis! Come on, you have to get it together. I know this is hard, but you and Sam will get through this."

Viola had been with Alexis and her girls through the many difficult times: cancer, viruses, bullet wounds, affairs, cancer again, serial killers, everything. Viola was like family to the Davis'; Alexis trusted her. Alexis got up from the floor, and looked at the mess she had made.

--- "This is just great. Don't bother cleaning it up Vi, I'll take care of it myself. Can you do me a favor please?"

--- "Anything you need."

--- "I need Sam's bathroom converted immediately so that she can more feasibly get around in there. I want my daughter to be able move around somewhat independently. She feels humiliated by this whole situation, and terrified that she'll be dependent on me for the rest of her life. I will _not _have her feeling like an invalid, and have her dignity compromised longer than necessary."

Viola's heart broke when she heard about Sam's situation.

--- "Lex, you don't have to worry about anything. I'll get everything ready before Sam comes home next week."

A single tear ran down Alexis' face; she brushed it away.

--- "Thank you, Vi."

* * *

Sam was furious with Kristina. She knew that she probably should not have been since no one could have foreseen that something like happening. But, the point of the matter was that it _did _happen.

--- "Sam, I'm so sorry! I just- I just wish that I could take this all back and—"

Sam cut her off.

--- "but you _CAN'T_, Kristina! You can't take it back! I can't _walk _thanks your stupid antics! You decided that you were going to party and sleep around with _MEN! _Then, when I caught you, and you found out that you had CHLAMYDIA, you'd think that you would stop! BUT NO! You decided to drink yourself into a f*cking stupor, and have us scared sh*tless that we were going to lose you! So, AGAIN, you'd think that you would have stopped acting like an attention-craving idiot and think about how your actions were affecting us, BUT NO, you decided that you couldn't handle living with Mom, so you ran off with the ASSHOLE that I found you with!

Kristina was bawling by now, but Sam took no pity on her.

"I already told you that these men you've been sleeping with were just using you! But, clearly your former con-artist sister, who's been around the block more than once, doesn't know WHAT THE F*CK SHE'S TALKING ABOUT! God, Kristina, do you know what your running away did? It BROKE Mom! She was a MESS when we found out that you ran off from the hospital! Then, when we found out where you were, and the kind of man you were with, we moved heaven and hell to find you! And NOW, LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED!"

Sam threw the sheets off of her legs and started punching them, ignoring the pain in her back.

"I CAN'T FEEL A THING! NOTHING! Thanks to your absolute _STUPIDITY, _I may NEVER walk again! Do you know how I feel, Kristina? Do you? I feel like SH*T! I can't even get up and walk to the toilet when I have to go! I have to call a nurse, who either gives me a bedpan, or wheels me to the bathroom, helping me onto the toilet because I'm too weak to lift myself! I can't shower on my own, I can't dress myself entirely; I'm at someone else's mercy. Because you decided you needed to go out and show how _INDEPENDENT _you were, I _LOST _my independence. So, don't come in here _crying _and think that I'm going open my arms up to you and tell you that _everything _is okay, when it isn't."

Kristina did not know what to say to Sam. Sam was right. Everything that happened was her fault, and now her sister was paralyzed.

--- "Sam, I know you hate me, and I don't blame you, because I hate myself. If I had known that Jeff was that evil, I wouldn't have—"

Sam cut her sister off again.

--- "You wouldn't have what, Kristina? You wouldn't have left the hospital with him? WELL DUH! You would've been pretty damn STUPID to do something like that. The problem is that you didn't think! You decided that in spite of everything that happened, you would rather run off with some guy you _hardly _know, than to stay here and deal with everything. You're not only selfish, you're also a _coward_!"

--- "Sam, I just want to make it up to you! I want to help you!"

--- "Kristina, I'm getting MORE help than I care to have, THANK YOU. If you want to help me and make it up to me, let's trade spinal cord? How about you be in this bed unable to move instead of me! Kristina, get out of here, go down some more penicillin, and leave me alone. Oh wait… How _did _you get here?"

Kristina did not want to tell her sister that she once again took her mother's car. But Sam, knowing her sister, already knew the answer.

--- "You stole Mom's car. That's just great.—"

--- "I wanted to see you." Kristina said quietly.

--- "Well now you have. Now you can leave."

Kristina turned around and ran from the room in tears. She knew Sam would be angry, she just didn't realize it would be this much. She got into her mother's car and drove home.

* * *

When Alexis finally made it downstairs, she expected to see Kristina, but she was not anywhere to be found. Before she began to panic, she saw the note Kristina left for her telling her that she went to the hospital to see Sam. As Alexis was about to grab her phone and call her, Kristina walked in the door, clearly distraught.

--- "Kristina, first, don't _ever_ take my car again! You don't have a license, and I don't want you getting into any more trouble. Secondly, what happened?"

Kristina looked at her mother, shocked that she didn't hate her as well.

--- "Sam hates me."

Alexis' heart broke because she could already imagine the conversation between her two girls. She went to hug Kristina, but she was rejected.

--- "Mom, just- just leave me alone. Ok? I promise, I won't go anywhere. I just want to be left alone."

Kristina ran towards her room, nearly knocking Molly down in the process.

Molly was fully dressed, excited to be able to spend some time with her mother. Alexis felt like crap, but she put a happy face on for her youngest.

--- "Hey baby, so are you ready to go?"

--- "Yup! Can we stop at the store and get Sam a get well present, first?"

Alexis gave Molly a kiss on the cheek; her baby was too sweet for words.

--- "Of course we can.

While at the store, Molly picked out 24 "Get Well Soon" balloons, but Alexis allowed her to bring that down to 12. Molly then grabbed the largest teddy bear that she could find, along with several magazines she knew her sister liked, a couple of bags of popcorn, a mini DVD player, and a dozen movies. Alexis was in awe of Molly's generosity (even though it was on her dime), but she had to put a stop to it before Molly decided to add a flat screen TV to the load of gifts she already threw in the cart.

--- "Baby, I think we got more than enough things for Sam; she's only going to be in the hospital for a week! When she comes home, you can spoil her some more if you like. Now, where's your money?"

Molly smiled. Alexis was amazed by how much she looked like Sam. If she and Sam had not discovered they were related all those years ago, they certainly would have realized it by the looks of Molly.

--- "MOMMY!"

Alexis laughed.

--- "Ok, FINE! _I'll _pay for it, but it's coming out of your allowance!" She winked at her daughter, grabbing Molly's chin when she saw her frown, and gave her a kiss on the nose. "I'm kidding baby."

They paid for all the items (a grand total of $397.11), and headed to the hospital.

When they arrived at Sam's room, Sam was once again lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

--- "Knock, knock."

Sam looked over and saw her mother and youngest sister standing in the doorway with their arms filled with bags of stuff.

--- "What's all that?"

Molly ran over to her sister, dropping the bags she carried on the chair beside the bed, and gave Sam a huge hug.

--- "Hi Sam! We got you SO much stuff!"

Despite how horribly she felt, she always enjoyed the company of her little sister.

--- "Hey Mol! I'm so happy to see you. Hi, Mom. What did you bring me?"

Alexis noticed Sam's eyes brighten at the sight of Molly. She loved that they were so close. She moved to the other side of Sam's bed, and gave her a kiss on the top of the head.

--- "Hi honey. _I_ brought you some clothes and shower things so that you don't have to be stuck in these hospital gowns for the next week. Molly, on the other hand—"

Molly interrupted.

--- "I bought you these balloons, a teddy bear, but we left it in the car; Mommy said we should probably take it home and put it in your room so its not in the way here. I also got you a bunch of magazines you like, popcorn, a DVD player—"

Sam laughed at the ridiculous amount of things Molly was tossing onto the bed.

--- "You got me a DVD player?"

--- "Yea! _AND _we got you movies too!"

Molly tossed them onto the bed as well. It was not until Molly emptied all the bags that Sam took notice that some of the things on the bed were covering her legs. Her happiness quickly turned to the reality of the situation; she didn't feel a thing. She tried to cover up her sadness by smiling at Molly, but Alexis noticed the change.

--- "Molly, honey, why don't you get these things off the bed, and set them up nicely for Sam. I'm going to help her out of bed and into the shower; I'm sure she wants to get out of that ugly gown."

Molly didn't seem to notice Sam's upset, so she cheerily agreed. Sam gave her mother a grateful nod. Molly cleared the bed, while Alexis slowly moved Sam into the wheelchair.

Prior to visiting Sam, Alexis stopped by the nurses' station and asked how to go about Sam's showering and minding the stitches. Epiphany told her that she would take care of it, or at least show her how, but Alexis told her no; Alexis refused to have Sam embarrassed by having more people witnessing her vulnerability. Epiphany did not argue with her; she explained how to mind the incision, careful not to get it wet. When she was done, Epiphany would come and show Alexis how to properly change the dressing; she was not compromising on that.

* * *

When Alexis got Sam into the bathroom, she noticed Sam's agitation. She bent down to face her daughter in the chair.

--- "Honey, it's okay. It's not going to be like this forever. In a few weeks, once you've started physical therapy, you'll have so much of your strength back, and you won't need my help. I promise you, you _will_ get your independence back!"

Sam closed her eyes as she felt the tears wanting to escape, but let Alexis help her undress and get her into the seat placed in the shower. Alexis grabbed one of the washrags she had purchased at the store, soaked it in water, and poured her shower gel (the one that Sam consistently stole from her bathroom) on it. She handed the rag to Sam, allowing her to clean her top half, while using another rag to wash Sam's legs and feet.

Sam wanted her hair washed, so Alexis made sure to put a towel on her back, to ensure she didn't get her incision wet. Sam shampooed her hair, then Alexis carefully had her lean backwards to rinse the shampoo out.

Afterwards, Alexis gently put Sam back onto the chair, then helped her dry off, lotion, and dress. When they were done, she called Epiphany in to show her how to properly change the dressing on the wound.

When Epiphany left, Alexis moved to wheel her back into the room, but Sam put her hand on her mother's, asking her to stop. Alexis walked around to face her.

--- "Thank you, Mom. –"

Alexis took Sam's hand into hers.

--- "No thanks necessary sweetheart. You're mine, and I love to take care of you."

Sam gave Alexis' hand a squeeze.

--- "I mean thank you for everything. For knowing how hard this would be, for letting me have _some _dignity by keeping this private, instead of having different nurses do this day in and day out, and for treating me with respect. I really do appreciate it, Mom. And I'm sorry for the way I acted yesterday; I should've known that you would never make me feel humiliated."

Alexis smiled at her daughter.

--- "I would never humiliate you."


	20. Returning

Note: I do not own the rights to any of the characters.

I hope you all enjoyed your 4th of July! I'm recuperating, lying on the coach, typing away (Chapter 21 should be up later). Enjoy!

Please keep reviewing!

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

During the week Sam was in the hospital, per Alexis' request, Viola had the lake house equipped and ready for her return home. Contractors installed ramps over the steps outside the house, and over the four steps leading to Sam's room. Viola made sure the bathroom had bars in the shower, and by the toilet, along with a seat inside the shower. Alexis also requested that an intercom system be placed throughout the house so that whenever Sam needed help, she could be attended to. With the new adjustments in the house, once Sam completely regained her strength, she would be able to take care of herself without much help from her mother.

As the days winded down, and Sam's release date quickly approached, Kristina became increasingly anxious and reclusive; she spent more and more time in her room refusing to speak to her mother about what had happened when visited her sister. Since school was out for summer break, Alexis and Molly only saw Kristina when she came down for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Other than that, Kristina remained in her room. Kristina had been enrolled in a summer school accelerated program, but she refused to attend after the incident occurred.

Alexis was worried about her. She set up appointments for Kristina to speak with Lainey twice a week to discuss what happened with Jeff, the aftermath, as well as hopefully discussing why she felt the need to sleep around with older men. Alexis was terrified that Kristina's reclusiveness would result in a repeat of what had happened all those years ago when she witnessed Sam shooting Diego, or when the presumed dead Diego returned as the Text Message Killer; more specifically, Alexis did not want Kristina to retreat so far into herself that she became like Laura Spencer.

When the day finally arrived for Sam to come home, Alexis decided to try to speak with Kristina again. Being that Sam was going to be living at home indefinitely, Alexis did not want there to be any discord between the sisters especially since Sam would be living at home indefinitely. She also did not want her girls at each other's throats for Molly's sake, since Alexis felt it best to leave the details of what had occurred obscure to the littlest Davis. When Molly asked what happened to Sam, and why Kristina was upset, Alexis simply responded that Sam had gotten hurt when she was trying to help Kristina, and now Kristina felt guilty; she did not tell Molly that the sisters were no longer on speaking terms.

--- "Kristina, we need to discuss what happened with your sister. She's going to be living here full time, and for the sake of this family, especially Molly, I don't want there to be any problems between you two."

Kristina rolled her eyes at her mother, and just rolled over in her bed.

--- "Honey, I want you to talk to me! Look, I know that you feel responsible for everything that happened, but closing yourself off from everyone is not going to change the situation. Sam's angry. She's angry that you put yourself in a position where you could've gotten raped, or even worse, killed. She's angry that because she tried to save you, she's now stuck in a wheelchair. She's angry because she's lost the independence that she once had. Can you blame her for being upset? But honey, just because she's in a bad way right now, it doesn't mean that she hates you. Kristina, Sam might be angry, but honey, she still loves you."

Kristina rolled back over to face her mother.

--- "Well, I don't deserve her love. Now, will you please just leave me alone?"

Alexis was heartbroken over Kristina's defeatist attitude.

--- "Fine, I'll leave you sweetheart, but I _will _be back. I won't have this tension in my house, not with my children. We're going to discuss this, me, you, and Sam, when I get back from picking her up, and before I need to pick Molly up from day camp."

Alexis leaned forward to give Kristina a kiss goodbye, but Kristina turned her head.

--- "I don't deserve your love either."

Alexis shook her head, kissed her hand, and placed it on Kristina's forehead.

--- "Well, no matter what you think, you'll always have it."

Alexis left Kristina's room feeling dejected. She hated that Kristina felt that she did not deserve anyone's love. The attorney in her tells her that Kristina should not feel as though she was the cause of Sam's paralysis because the stabbing just was not a foreseeable event. However, the mother in her, the one that dealt with Sam's pain and shame at the loss of her independence and capabilities, the one whose back was beginning to hurt from moving Sam from the wheelchair to the tub, or to the toilet, or to the bed, felt that Kristina was partially to blame. The mother in her believed that if Kristina had just listened to her, or had just talked to her about her problems instead of running off, none of this would have happened. Alexis was conflicted; she could never take sides against her children, but she certainly could not allow this feud to continue.

* * *

Alexis walked into Sam's hospital room to see her eldest daughter in better spirits than the night before. She gave Sam a kiss on the forehead.

--- "Hi honey. You seem happy."

Sam smiled at her mother.

--- "I _am_ happy! I can't wait to get the hell out of here. I miss my bed, my bathroom, normal food, everything. I just want to go home!"

Alexis was happy to see Sam in such a good mood. She missed seeing her daughter smile.

--- "Good, I'm glad to have you coming home! Come on, the sooner we get you ready, the sooner we can get out of here."

Sam's strength was slowly coming back, but with the stitches still in her back, she still moved slowly. While she tried to move to the wheelchair without much help from her mother, when she winced at the pain, Alexis had to help her. After wheeling Sam into the bathroom, Alexis stepped aside to allow Sam to try and get onto the shower chair by herself. When she complained of back pain, Alexis moved to help her, showing her how to move each foot over the bar, then grabbing the other bar to balance herself onto the chair. Once Sam was in the seat, Alexis gave her a kiss on the top of the head.

--- "Don't worry, sweetheart, it's only been a week. Patrick told you, once the stitches are removed, and you start physical therapy, you'll soon be able to do it without any help from me."

Alexis handed Sam her loofah, and she washed herself without much help. Although Alexis had to help her left each leg towards herself to wash them, Sam did everything by herself. As usual, she wanted her hair washed, but she was tired and sore.

--- "Mom, can you wash my hair for me, please? I'm just really tired."

--- "Of course I can! It's okay to be tired, Sam. You've made so much progress in such a short time; you hardly even need my help in here anymore! I'm proud of you."

Although Sam still felt humiliated by her loss of independence, she no longer felt awkward with her mother when she needed to be helped in the bathroom. In fact, the mother and daughter became closer because of the situation. Sam appreciated the fact that she had a mother who actually wanted to care for her, and did so without making her feel as though she were a burden, or that doing so was merely an obligation. Alexis, on the other hand, was a nurturer; since she had not been able to care for Sam after she was born, she willingly cared for her daughter in any way she needed her. Alexis could never allow any of her girls to remain helpless when she was more than capable of looking out for them.

Sam managed to, this time on her own, pull her legs against her, holding them to her with her arms, while Alexis washed her hair. As Alexis talked about the changes she made to the house in preparation for her return, Sam made an unexpected announcement.

--- "Mom, I'm not going home with you."

Alexis stopped shampooing and walked around to face her daughter.

--- "Samantha, what are you talking about?"

Sam hated it when her mother called her Samantha. Sam leaned her head on her knees, playing with her motionless toes, not wanting to look Alexis in the eyes.

--- "I don't want to come home and have to deal with Kristina. I think it would be better if I went to my apartment."

Without a word, Alexis simply sighed, and went back to finish washing Sam's hair, then helped her out of the shower, and into the chair. She changed the dressing on Sam's wound, helped her dress, then packed Sam's belongings in the duffel bag. She left Sam sitting on the bed in the room alone while she signed the discharge papers, and picked up the wheelchair she had purchased.

Sam was beyond confused by her mother's reaction. Typically, Alexis would have argued with her until Sam backed down, but the silent treatment was something entirely different. Sam knew that her mother would be unwilling to allow her to move back to her apartment, but she had not expected her mother to completely shut her out.

Alexis returned about 15 minutes later with discharge papers, Sam's new wheelchair, and an orderly. The orderly put Sam in the wheelchair, and wheeled her out to her mother's car. Alexis helped her into the front seat, and placed the chair into the trunk. She got in the car, and drove off in silence.

--- "Mom, seriously, you're not going to talk to me?"

--- "Samantha, I'm not discussing this with you."

_There she goes again with the Samantha._

--- "Look, I'm not going to live under the same roof with Kristina. I'm sorry, I know that hurts you, but I refuse to deal with her _walking_ around feeling sorry for herself."

Alexis stopped at the red light and looked at Sam.

--- "If you saw your sister for the past week, you would _not _think that she was walking around feeling sorry for herself. Kristina is so remorseful over what's happened that she's completely shut us all out. I've tried to convince her that despite the fact that you're angry, you don't hate her, and that you still love her, but, she's decided that she doesn't deserve to be loved."

Sam had never intended for Kristina to feel like she hated her. She could never hate her; she was the first person in the Davis fold who loved Sam. Sure, Sam was angry with her sister, furious even, but she could never be angry with Kristina to the point of hating her. Sam was mostly upset because Kristina foolishly and recklessly put herself in a precarious position of needing to be saved, that lead to her life being ruined. However, while Sam felt bad that she gave her Kristina the impression that she hated her, she certainly was not ready to forgive her sister for everything that had happened; it was evident that being paralyzed was far worse than having the blues.

--- "Well, I'm sorry she feels that way, but that doesn't mean I need to move back home… MOM! Come on! That was the turn for my apartment! I'm paying rent for nothing if you won't let me go home! ... Seriously, if Kristina thinks that I hate her, she's not the brightest bulb in the pack. I wouldn't be in this situation if I didn't love her… COME ON! You could've turned down there! Mom, I want to go back to my place!"

Alexis sighed and continued driving toward the lake house, completely ignoring Sam's continuous protests in direction.

--- "Samantha—"

Sam was getting aggravated; she did not appreciate her mother intentionally ignoring her wishes by taking her to the lake house, and she certainly did not like it when her mother treated her like a kid by calling her by her full name.

--- "WILL YOU QUIT FUCKING CALLING ME SAMANTHA, _ALEXIS_? I ALREADY TOLD YOU THAT I WANT TO GO TO _MY _APARTMENT WHERE I'M STILL PAYING RENT. I'M A GROWN ASS WOMAN WHO IS FULLY CAPABLE OF LIVING ON HER OWN. SHIT! WILL YOU STOP TREATING ME LIKE A DAMN KID!"

Alexis slowed the car down and pulled into a parking spot. She turned off the engine, reached over and grabbed Sam's chin turning her face to look at her.

--- "I really don't give a damn as to the fact that you're a grown woman! Please don't think that because I didn't raise you, you can speak to me anyway you see fit; I'm still your mother, and you need to show me some respect!"

Sam jerked her face to get out of her mother's grasp, and tried to interrupt, but Alexis continued, ignoring Sam's protestations.

--- "SAM! I'm _not _taking you back to your apartment, and that's final. You're still too weak to take care of yourself, and I'll be damned if I leave you there and you hurt yourself! You're my daughter, and I want you home. Whatever problems you have with Kristina, we're going to deal with it… as a _family_. I'm not discussing this with you again."

Alexis turned the car back on, and pulled out of the parking spot. Sam looked down at her hands for a couple of minutes before quietly apologizing.

--- "Look, I'm sorry for yelling, but you need to stop treating me like I'm a kid. I'm _not _Molly or Kristina, Mom, I'm 29, and just because I'm now dependent on _others_ to take care of me, that doesn't mean that I don't have a say on _my _life. I'm more than capable of having a nurse take care of me from my apartment than going home with you and having you deal with me, Molly, and _Kristina_, along with your position as D.A."

Alexis sighed.

--- "Sam, I'm well aware of the fact that you're 29, but when you throw tantrums, it's hard _not _totreat you like one of your sisters. Secondly, hiring a nurse is out of the question because she'll only be with you but for so many hours, and if you had round the clock care, you'd feel like you were in the hospital; I already know that you wouldn't be happy about that."

Alexis reached over and took Sam's hand.

--- "Honey, I'm not apologizing for loving you and wanting you home so I can take care of you. This discussion is over, Sam; you're coming home."

There was nothing that Sam could do but accept Alexis' decision. She crossed her arms and pouted while she looked out the window as her mother turned down the wooded street leading towards home.

* * *

After pulling into the driveway of the lake house, Alexis stepped out and retrieved the wheelchair from the trunk of the car. She unfolded it, opened the passenger side door, and helped Sam into it. As she was about to push it, Sam stopped her.

--- "Mom, I think I can manage to wheel myself in."

Alexis did not think this was a good idea, as Sam had been complaining about still feeling sore, and had not yet built up her upper body strength, but she obliged her daughter anyway. Sam wheeled herself a couple of feet, but stopped when her arms and back began to ache; clearly rolling a wheelchair was going to be far more difficult than she had imagined. She looked her at mother, who noticed the pained look on her face. Alexis gave her a kiss on the top of the head before wheeling her to the house.

--- "Don't worry, honey, I'll cover your rent."

Sam just rolled her eyes; that was her mother's way of saying, 'I told you so.'


	21. Blame

Note: I do not own the rights to any of these characters.

Ok, so before I started doing my real work, I reread the chapter and made some changes in dialog. I felt that through my exhaustion last night, I did not capture what I was trying to capture, so here it is. As you'll note, the chapter is much longer, and everything that has been changed is in bold.

If I manage to finish reading my cases and briefing them for work, I'll definitely try and get the next chapter written out and posted by tonight or early tomorrow.

Thanks to my regular reviewers, I appreciate your support! I'm glad you love the story... at this point, it appears that it's writing itself. While I have ideas as to where I'm going with it, the muse strikes, and it goes someplace else.

I'd love to see who else is reading, so please make yourself known! What do you love about the story, what do you hate?

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE**

Ever since she had visited Sam from the hospital, Kristina had no desire to do anything; she did not want to eat, she could not sleep at night, and simply getting up from the bed each morning was a chore. Every night, Kristina prayed she could switch positions with her sister; she asked God to make her be the one who was stabbed and now paralyzed, and prayed that Sam be healthy and once again independent. However, day after day, when she awoke able to **walk** about her room, and **walk **down the steps leading to the kitchen or living room, she became increasingly upset.

As the days dwindled to hours until Sam's return, aside from meeting with Lainey Winters, **or **having breakfast, lunch, and dinner with Molly and Alexis, Kristina stayed in her bed staring at the walls. As she lay there, she thought about the day and a half prior to Sam's stabbing, and how much her sister had tried to help her, how she had been willing to listen to her problems and help her in anyway she could. Kristina wished she could have gone back and taken Sam's advice **and left the older men alone**; **clearly calling Jeff to take her from the hospital, simply because she was tired of being nagged by her mother was one of the biggest mistake she had ever made in her life**. Most importantly, she wished that she had never called Sam when she **realized that Jeff was only using her, and wanted her to compromise her integrity by sleeping with his friends for money**. Kristina replayed the events leading to that fateful moment over and over in her mind; **1) if she had stayed at the hospital instead of calling Jeff, Sam would have been fine, 2) if she had just left the dorm when she realized Jeff was a sleazeball, Sam would have been fine, and 3) if she had not called Sam to tell her that she was fine, Sam would not have come after her, and everything would have been fine. In summary, Kristina knew **everything was her fault.

Lainey suggested that she keep a journal of her feelings instead of internalizing them. Kristina pulled the journal out from behind her mattress and began to write.

* * *

Sam was amazed at the changes made to the lake house: the furniture had been moved around so that she could easily navigate her way throughout the house, and ramps were placed over all the steps. In her room, she noticed that her mother bought her a platform bed as her other one would have been too high for her to get onto, her bathroom pedestal sink had been switched out for a lowered vanity sink, and bars were placed throughout so she would be able to get in and out of the tub on her own, and on and off the toilet without any help. She also noticed that the house was wired with intercoms.

--- "Mom, seriously, intercoms?

--- "Well, if you need anything, you need to be able to let me know!"

--- "Jesus, all of this must have cost you a fortune!"

Alexis rubbed Sam's shoulder.

--- "Honey, when it comes to ensuring my children's safety and comfort, money is no object. **When you get stronger, Sam, I want you to be able to move about without any problems.**"

--- "Thank you. **Seriously, Mom, I really appreciate everything that you've been doing for me. I don't know what I would've done without you.**"

**Alexis moved over to face Sam. She placed her hand on her cheek, and gave her a kiss on the forehead.**

--- "**Anything for you. … **Ok, so now that you're home, I think that it's time for you, Kristina, and I **hash this out."**

Sam sighed and rolled her eyes.

--- "Mom, I'm not in the mood to deal with her right now –"

Alexis interrupted her.

--- "Sam, we're having this out right now. I won't have Molly come home to this nonsense. She's **eight; she's **already adjusted to the fact that you won't be able to go swimming with her for a while, and that for whatever reason, **Kristina feels responsible for everything and** has hidden herself in her room. **Honey, that's a lot for her to deal with, **I won't have Molly **feel as though her family is falling apart.** Now, stay right here; don't try to wheel away."

Alexis left Sam in the living room, while she went to retrieve Kristina from her room.

When Alexis walked into her Kristina's still door-less room, she wasn't surprised to find her in the same spot she left her in a couple of hours prior. She sat on the bed and noticed that Kristina had fallen asleep. She moved to wake her up, but noticed the last journal entry. She knew that she should not read it, but since Kristina refused to speak with her, this was the only way to know what was going on in her daughter's head. She read that day's entry,

"_Today has been the most difficult day because Mom has finally gone to the hospital to pick Sam up; she'll be living here until she can learn to adjust to her new life. I wish I could give her my life. Sam is coming home to not only deal with life in a wheelchair, but to have to also deal with seeing the person who caused her to be there… Me. She doesn't deserve this."_

Alexis put her hand to her mouth. She did not know what to make of the entry; was Kristina contemplating ending her life? She flipped the page to the previous entry.

"_The closer the time comes until Sam comes home, the more nervous I get over how she'll feel when she sees me. I'll probably just stay in my room until I figure out what I'm going to do; she doesn't need to be bothered by seeing me. God, I wish it were me in that wheelchair instead of her. Why did I call her? Whatever Jeff had planned to do to me, I deserved since I asked him to get me at the hospital. Sam told me that these guys did not want anything from me, but I didn't listen. I should've let him rape me; that would have been better than Sam coming to my rescue."_

Alexis turned the page to the first entry.

"_Doctor Winters said I should write my feelings down in this journal. Well, I guess I'm angry. I'm angry because I allowed Sam to once again come to my rescue. Wasn't she the one that saved me when I was sick as a toddler? Sam's baby, my niece, died to save my life. I guess it came somewhat full circle since Sam lost her ability to walk because she was trying to save me from Jeff. I'm sad. I'm sad because I caused my family so much hurt. I heard Mommy crying and breaking things in her room last night. I heard her on the phone talking to Uncle Jax this morning. She told him that Patrick thinks that Sam's paralysis might be permanent. She also said that when she and Molly went to visit Sam, and bought her a bunch of things to pass the time, Sam didn't even realize that Molly had emptied the bags on her legs! What the fuck did I do to my sister?! Sam is such an independent person; she hates relying on people. Yet she had to sit by and let Mommy wash and dress her. How humiliating is that? I've not only paralyzed my sister, I humiliated her. If she were to forgive me tomorrow, I can't say that I'd want her to. I don't deserve her forgiveness. I don't deserve her love."_

Alexis' heart broke. Not only was Kristina was beyond remorseful over Sam's paralysis, she felt guilty **because** Sam's baby died all those years ago. **Alexis felt the anger boiling in her for the situation her family was in. ** **She was not about to let her family go down the tubes; this **could not continue as it were, for not only Molly's sake, but for both Sam and Kristina's sakes as well. **Even though Sam was angry, **she was going to need everyone to band together and help her through this; fighting and **resenting Kristina** was not going to **change the circumstances, and it certainly was not going to help**.

Alexis put the book back where she found it, and ran her hand up and down Kristina's cheek.

--- "Krissy, honey, wake up."

Kristina stirred in her sleep. She opened her eyes to see her mother smiling at her. **She looked at her mother sadly, and whispered,**

--- "You're back. **I guess **that means Sam's here too."

Alexis gave her a weak smile.

--- "Yea, she's in the living room. We **need to have** a family meeting."

Kristina looked at her defiantly.

--- "I'm not taking part in this."

Alexis glared at her daughter.

--- "Kristina, you don't have a choice. The last time I checked, being my kid makes you a part of this family, therefore **being the Mom means that **what I say goes. **Get up right now, and **let's go."

Kristina rolled over, turning her back to her mother.

--- "I'm _not _going."

Alexis was losing patience. She walked to the other side of the bed, and pulled Kristina from the bed, nearly causing her to fall to the floor. After moving Sam **off and onto the wheelchair** over the past week, pulling Kristina, who was **as small** as Sam, **from the bed,** was a piece of cake. With her hand firmly gripping Kristina's arm, Alexis threatened,

--- "I'm not in the mood to argue with you, Kristina; either you walk on your own to the living room, or I drag you there kicking and screaming."

Kristina gave her mother a death glare, then pulled out of her grasp, and walked out of her room toward the living room.

Sam was sitting in her chair thumbing through a magazine, when Kristina stomped in with Alexis right behind her. She was not looking forward to this family reunion, but seeing as she couldn't wheel herself to her room, she was stuck.

When she moved to sit at the dining table rather than on the coach, closer to where Sam was, Alexis **pulled Kristina over to the coach**.

--- "Ok, now that we're all here, I think its important for us to clear the air and get a part of this tension cut out before your little sister gets home. Who wants to begin?"

Alexis knew that neither girl was about to say anything, so she continued.

--- "Ok, no one? Alright, I'll start. I'm really sad about what's going on in this family right now. **Kristina, I know that you feel guilty over everything that has occurred, and Sam, I know that you blame your sister for it al. Now, you're both my daughters, and I love you, but I will certainly not sit by and watch this family crumble. Kristina, it's obvious that if you had stayed in the hospital, the chain of events leading to Sam being paralyzed, would not have happened, however Sam, none of the events would have lead anyone to foresee that you would've been stabbed. I understand that there is some guilty feelings on Kristina's part, but I don't believe that if she thought that you would've been hurt in anyway, Sam, that she would've run off with that freak. On the other hand, Kristina, your sister loves you! Sam is a P.I., do you really think that she wouldn't have found you, even if you didn't call her? Kristina, I won't say that you aren't partially to blame for the havoc in this family right now, but you need to understand that it might have happened regardless. **Kristina, do you love your sister?"

Kristina sat on the coach, looking down at her feet, trying to keep them as still as possible, so as not to offend Sam. **She heard everything that her mother had to say, but was not entirely convinced.**

--- "Yes."

--- "Do you believe me when I tell you she loves you?"

--- "Not anymore."

--- "Do you want her to still love you?"

For the first time, Kristina looked at her sister.

--- "No."

Sam felt as though she had been punched in the gut. She knew that Kristina was remorseful, but this defeatist attitude was something new and different. Because she read the journal entries, and had seen the way she secluded herself from everybody, Alexis already knew what Kristina's answers would be before she asked them. **She knew that her daughter did not believe anything that she had just said, and that she was resigned to punish herself for something that was uncontrollable and unforeseeable.**

--- "Why don't you want Sam to love you?"

Kristina **jumped up from the coach, looked at her mother, while pointing toward her sister.**

--- "She's in a wheelchair, because of me! **She's in a wheelchair because I wanted to have sex and being in this house, and being stuck in a hospital, was getting on my nerves! **I should've known that when I called Sam, she would try and find me. I didn't know that Jeff was a bad guy, I SWEAR! When he drugged me and took me to the hospital, I should've just let him do what he wanted to me! **Shit, I've been slutting around for weeks, what's another fuck?! My sister who has done **_**NOTHING **_**but try and protect me my whole life, is sitting in a fucking chair unable to do most things we take for granted because I wanted to have sex! Mom, you said it yourself, I caused the ball to start rolling that lead to this. It doesn't matter that no one would've known that Jeff would've stabbed Sam, the point of the matter is that because I decided that I needed to be independent and do whatever I wanted, I damaged and humiliated my sister. I don't deserve to be loved by anyone, least of all by Sam."**

Alexis **knew that Kristina needed to get all of this off her chest. She looked at Sam, who was blinking her eyes trying not to cry. Sam was determined to let Kristina feel her pain, and if allowing her to hit rock bottom would get her there, she was willing to move away and allow Kristina to fall. Alexis **decided not to press the matter any further with Kristina; **she allowed her to move away from the coach and sit at the dining room table.**

Alexis focused her attentions on her eldest daughter now.

---"Sam, I know that you're pissed at the position that you're in, but let me ask you something: if Kristina had not put herself in the position that she was in, but was kidnapped by Jeff, would you have still run into the hospital to find her?"

Sam looked at her mother as though she had three heads.

--- "Mom, what kind of question is that? Of course I would've run in to find her!"

Alexis pressed on.

--- "What if you knew that if you ran in looking for her, that there was a high probability that you would be injured in the process, would you still try and save her?"

Sam thought for a second before answering.

--- "I- I- don't know."

Alexis walked up to her eldest daughter and knelt down in front of her, taking her hands in hers, then rephrased her question.

--- "Sam, if you knew that not running into the hospital would result in your sister being raped by several men until we were able to find and save her, but running in would probably result in you being injured, would you still try and save her?"

Sam looked her mother in the eyes, and saw the pain that this feud was causing to her.

--- "I would still save her."

**--- "In regards to what happened last week, knowing that Kristina was trying to run from Jeff, and not knowing where he was, or if he had even caught him, knowing what you know now, would you have still run in to save her**?

Alexis felt a tear roll down her face.

--- "Honey, why would you still save her."

--- "Because she means the world to me! **I love her, Mom! Kristina, I love you, I **_**still **_**love you, despite what happened! I know that you must have been terrified in that room, being tied down, and exposed like that. I wouldn't have changed anything that I did to find you. I wouldn't have waited for Raynor's men to get inside the hospital, I wouldn't have waited for Lucky to go in with me, and I certainly wouldn't have stayed outside wondering where the hell that asshole freak was, and whether or not he had caught you! I would've still run in there, while hoping that I wasn't hurt, I would've moved heaven and earth to find you."**

**Alexis felt her tears wanting to come out, but she fanned them away. By this point, Kristina had turned and looked at her sister, who had been addressing her. Sam, stared at her and stated, barely above an audible whisper,**

--- "I would never have wanted you to be raped… like I was."


	22. Flashes

Note: I do not own the rights to any of these characters.

Ok, so I've decided to add a new piece to the puzzle that is Sam's past. Please note that some changes are made to whatever TPTB have said about Sam's past as when Sam was first introduced to GH, I was away at college, and didn't have as much time to watch the show (not that I do now, but it's vacation! lol). So, what you may know about Sam from the show, is not technically the same in this story.

Disclaimer: There is violence in this chapter, including a graphic recounting of rape. You've been warned. THIS CHAPTER'S RATING IS "**M" **FOR MATURE!

As usual, PLEASE REVIEW.

**CHAPTER 22**

Sam had never told her mother, or anyone for that matter, about her rape. In fact, she was always pretty vague about her past because she was ashamed of the things that she had done. While Alexis knew that Sam had been sexually promiscuous at a young age, along with drinking and smoking, Sam never went into specifics as to how old she actual was, how many men she was involved with, or what kind of smoking she had been doing. The only real concrete piece of Sam's past that Alexis knew about was her multiple marriages; this occurred only because Amelia Joffe, the former producer of Everyday Heroes, made it her business to expose Sam's past to everyone she loved, and Sam admitted it to her mother. Therefore, this new admission took Alexis by surprise, and her heart broke at the thought that someone had violated her daughter so terribly.

--- "Honey, when were you raped?"

Sam took her eyes off of Kristina, and looked at her mother.

--- "When I was 16, right after Cody left us for good."

Alexis grabbed a tissue, and wiped away the tears that she had tried so hard to control.

--- "Can you tell me—us, what happened?"

Sam sighed; she did not really want to dredge up her past, but because she brought it up, she knew that she did not have a choice.

_**

* * *

FLASHBACK**_

_Cody, once again, decided that he could not be bothered raising Sam and Danny. His wife, their mother, Evelyn had run off years ago, leaving him to take care of the adopted runt, and his "special" boy; Cody was bitter. He had heard that there was a great con going on somewhere at a Vegas hotel, and he wanted a hand in it. Two children, was clearly a burden to him, so he split in the middle of the night, leaving Sam to care for her brother._

_When Sam woke up the next morning, she realized that Cody was gone. She checked her purse and realized that he took all the money that she had left. She knew that she needed to get some money somehow, so she showered, and made sure that she was well groomed. She ironed her nicest clothes, and pulled her hair into a nice ponytail. Once she was dressed, and looked presentable, she left the motel, and headed to "Rush," a hip store with clothes for young adults. Sam spent about 15 minutes in there before walking out; being the great swindler that she was, she managed to swipe three different outfits._

_Later that night, she put her makeup on, fixed her hair, and dressed in one of the outfits she had stolen. She put on a pair of heels she had stolen from a shoe store by replacing the shoes in the box with an old pair of heels she had found at the Salvation Army. By the time she was done, any normal person would have thought she was a pretty, petite twenty-one year old college student._

_Sam headed for a bar approximately 15 blocks from the motel. She sat on the barstool next to a few guys, and held random conversations with them. While the guys weren't looking, or too entranced with her beauty, Sam grabbed their wallets, and pulled out the cash. By the end of the night, she had accumulated about $150; this would only last about two nights, maybe three if she and Danny moved to a cheaper motel. Sam decided that she would try one more guy, before turning in for the night._

_Sam walked to one more bar, this one a bit closer to the motel. She did the same thing as she has done at the other bars she had been to that night, but when she reached for the guy's wallet, he grabbed her hand. _

_--- "Big mistake!"_

_He dragged Sam out of the bar, unnoticed by the other drunken patrons, and took her to a dark alley across the street. _

_Once he got her in the alley, he began to punch her, causing her to fall to the ground in pain. He reached in his back pocket, and pulled out his wallet and stuffed it in her mouth. He dared Sam to attempt to make any noise, threatening that he would kill her if she did. He took his belt off, and beat her like cattle for a few minutes, cutting her skin in some areas with the belt buckle. Sam wanted to die at that moment, but knew that she could never leave Danny to fend for himself; he would never survive alone. Therefore, she surrendered, and allowed this man to do whatever he needed to do to her._

_When he was done beating her, he tied her hands back with the belt. He tore her clothes off, and threw them in the open dumpster; he intended to embarrass this young thief in anyway that he could. He ripped her bra and underwear off, and cast them aside as well. With Sam lying helplessly, bleeding, and naked on the dirty alley ground, beside a dumpster, he pulled his pants down to reveal his already erect penis. He bent down, forcefully spread her tightly closed legs apart, and roughly entered her. He pounded in her for several minutes, hoping he would hurt her enough that she would be unable to walk right for days. Then when he felt the need to release surging inside of him, he pulled out of her, and moved over to her face. He pointed rubbed himself some more and ejaculated all over her face._

_After it was over, he pulled his pants up, and snatched the wallet out of her mouth. He freed her hands from the belt, and put it back around his waist. He then looked at the terrified and traumatized teen, opened his wallet and threw to her the only cash he had in there: a single dollar bill. _

_--- "I was gonna use my last dollar to buy me a lotto ticket for tonight's game, but I guess you need it more than I do. Thanks."_

_He spit on her, and walked away whistling._

_Sam would never have known this about her rapist, but he had just been fired from his job two months prior, his wife took the children and left him, his car was on the verge of repossession, and he had just found out that morning that his mother died. The dollar in his wallet was his very last, and as he had mentioned to Sam, he planned on using it to buy a lotto ticket using his regular numbers; he prayed that he would be one of the lucky few who blew their last buck on a lotto ticket and won. Instead, he met Sam. _

_When the lotto hit that night, fate would have it that his regular numbers won. The man was so distraught over his misfortune that he went into his bedroom, gathered up his sheets, and hung himself._

* * *

--- "And that's what happened. I had to jump inside a disgusting dumpster to get my torn clothes, and stumbled in pain, back to the motel. Thankfully, he didn't take any of the money that I had stolen that night, and I was able to move Danny and me to a cheaper motel several blocks away in the opposite direction. I never saw the guy again."

While Sam was ashamed and deeply traumatized by repeating the story to her mother and sister, it was a relief to finally let go of that piece of her past. Alexis, who had been sitting across from her, was in shock, she was angry, and most of all, quite sad. It had already been heartbreaking for her to discover that Sam had married several guys for money, but it was disturbing and infuriating to now find out that her daughter was brutally raped because the man who was supposed to care for her decided that pulling a con was more important. Alexis had noticed some scars on Sam's body, but never asked her about them; she now wondered if they were from the rape, or the beating she took from Bill Monroe. She pulled Sam from the wheelchair, and onto the couch. She put both hands on Sam's face and looked directly into her dark tear shaped eyes.

--- "I am so sorry that happened to you."

That was all that she could tell her daughter. She kissed her on her forehead, and both cheeks, before taking her into her arms. She gave Sam another kiss on the forehead, and repeated again, this time with tears overfilling her eyes.

--- "I am so very sorry that happened to you."

Sam, dry-eyed, took her mother's hands in her own.

--- "Mom, I know you are. It's okay. Please don't cry; this was just another page, a horrible page, in my past. I've learned from it all, and after shedding so many tears, I've moved on. I just didn't want something like that happening to Kristina."

Alexis looked over at her other daughter who was in the corner, sitting quietly, with her head down on the dining table; her shoulders were shaking.

--- "Kristina—"

Kristina did not seem to hear her mother call her; she was too distraught. Over the past week, Kristina had been so preoccupied with feeling guilty over what had happened to her sister, that she did not deal with the trauma of what happened to her. She could imagine how terrified her sister felt when she knew that she was about to be raped: dread, humiliation, violated. Kristina recalled feeling exactly the same way when she woke up to find herself tied to the gurney, and her legs spread and tied on the stirrups. She was terrified that Jeff would keep her, or had kept her, tied like that for hours, allowing anyone he invited to come into the room and violate her. She wanted to be back home in her mother's and sister's arms, and tell them how sorry she was for all that she had put them through, but she was stuck with that psycho, and unsure as to whether she would ever be able to go back home.

Suddenly, as Kristina sat there, she remembered the way Jeff's lips tasted of cigarettes and his saliva on her lips before he put the tape on her mouth. She recalled him sticking his hand between her legs, and rubbing her, until she felt disgusted with herself for being aroused. She wanted to kick him in the balls, but couldn't, since her legs were tied. He unzipped his pants, and Kristina remembered him entering her. He yanked the sheet off of her, and roughly grabbed her breasts, pulling at them, while he thrust in her. She then flashed to him fixing her hair and applying makeup, telling her that she was beautiful. Then just before he was about to open the door to let Kevin in, he told her he would pass on having her, since he had already had her.

Kristina was overcome with emotion; she was beginning to remember what had happened to her while she was drugged. She began to bang her head on the dining room table at the realization that she had in fact been raped.

Sam and Alexis were shocked to see what Kristina was doing.

--- "MOM! Go stop her!"

Alexis was up in a flash, pulling Kristina back from the table before she seriously hurt herself. Kristina began to punch herself in the head, once Alexis moved her.

--- "KRISTINA! STOP!"

Alexis grabbed both her hands, and held them to her. Kristina calmed down.

--- "Kristina, honey, are you ok?"

Kristina did not respond.

--- "Baby, look at me, are you ok? – Sam, call Lainey, right now."

The phone was behind Sam, so she reached around and dialed General Hospital, asking to speak with Lainey. Alexis, in the meantime, was trying to get Kristina to respond to her.

--- "Kristina! Come on, baby, talk to Mommy!"

Alexis had previously seen the glazed look on Kristina's face; it was the same look she had when she saw Diego Alcazar. Her daughter was once again shutting down.

Sam hung up the phone.

--- "Lainey's on her way."

Alexis brought Kristina over to the couch. Once Alexis sat her down next to Sam, Kristina pulled her legs to her, and began to rock back and forth.

Alexis was beyond herself in grief; one daughter was paralyzed, and the other was now suffering a nervous breakdown. _How much can one person take?!_ Alexis sat on the coffee table, in front of her daughters; she held her head in her hands and sobbed. Sam tried to reach for her, but she couldn't.

--- "Mom, come here."

Alexis looked at her eldest daughter, whose arms were outstretched. Alexis moved over on the table and laid her head on her daughter's useless legs. Sam, forgetting about her back pain, leaned forward, rubbed her mother's back, and whispered in her mother's ear.

--- "It's okay… we've been through this with her before, we'll get through it again."


	23. Dirty

Note: I do not own the rights to any of these characters.

Wowzers, so today was a straight writer's block day… I finally felt inspiration after getting annoyed with Chopin's genius, and my uncooperative fingers, but that's another story. Here you go… I hope you like it.

KEEP REVIEWING!

**CHAPTER 23**

Kristina was seated on the couch beside Sam, who was trying to soothe her, while Alexis sat on the coffee table watching her, unsure of what to do next.

--- "Krissy, sweetie, come on, I'm here for you. I love you honey. It's okay… Look, I don't blame you anymore! I would've saved you regardless of what might have happened to me. Your safety is more important than anything else in this world, and if I had to do this over, I would've still tried to save you. Can you talk to me, please?"

Kristina heard what Sam was saying, but she couldn't respond. She felt as though something had torn her tongue from her mouth, and any attempt at speaking would be futile. All she could do was rock and think about how violated Jeff made her feel, and how dirty she now felt.

Suddenly, she felt her legs slip from under her, and before she knew it, her feet were on the floor, and she was running into her mother's bathroom. She felt as though she had no control over her body; she ran into the bathroom as locked the door behind her.

She turned the shower on, making it as hot as possible. She stepped in fully clothed, and let the hot water hit her, not noticing whether or not it actually burned. She slid down to the shower floor and continued to rock back and forth as the memories of her rape flooded into her mind. She felt Jeff's hands all over her, his lips and his tongue moving over her, she could smell him on her. She remembered him undressing her in the dorm room after she had eaten. She tried to tell him to stop, but he wouldn't listen to her. He threw her clothes in the corner, and started touching her all over her body in the room. The last thing she remembered before passing out for the first time was Jeff on top of her in the bed.

She wanted to vomit, but all she could do was gag. She wanted to scream out, but no sound would come from her. She wanted to cry, but she was all cried out. She wanted to die, but she could not bring herself to take such a step; she had caused her family enough pain and suffering. She did not know what else to do, but sit there on the shower floor. She could not believe that she had been so violated, not once, but _twice_.

Time stood still. Kristina had no idea how long she had been sitting in the shower when she heard pounding on the door. Her mother was screaming for her to open the door.

--- "Kristina, please open the door! Honey, I have a key to my bathroom, but I don't want to use it, so _please_ just open the door."

Kristina ignored her mother's pleas. She was completely drenched, but she still felt dirty. The image and the feeling of Jeff inside her was disturbing. She felt as though she were still being raped; she needed to get rid of that feeling.

Alexis knocked for about 30 seconds more before she unlocked the door. When she stepped into the bathroom, she was shocked to find Kristina sitting in the shower. She ran towards the shower and shut the water off. Alexis could see the steam rising off of Kristina's drenched clothes; she was grateful that Kristina had not burned herself.

--- "Baby, come on, it's alright."

When she bent down to touch her daughter, Kristina cowered away. Just then, Lainey entered the bathroom pushing Sam in her wheelchair. When Sam saw what Kristina, soaking wet, and hiding in the shower, she immediately realized what had happened to her sister. Sam looked at her mother with knowing eyes; Alexis, putting her hand to her mouth, and looking back at Kristina, seemed to understand immediately.

--- "Mom, can you give Kristina and me a minute, please?"

Alexis looked from Sam to Kristina, then back to Sam. Sam nodded her head to Alexis, indicating to her that everything would be fine. Alexis moved away from Kristina, went to Sam, and pushed her chair toward the shower. Alexis, with Lainey close behind her, walked out of the bathroom, leaving the door slightly ajar so that they could listen.

--- "Krissy, I think I have an idea of what's happened to you –"

Kristina turned the shower on again. She couldn't stand it; she felt his lips still on her.

--- "He raped you, didn't he?"

She began to rock back and forth again, putting her hands to her ears, trying to drown out the sound of his grunts, as he moved in and out of her.

--- "Honey, it's okay! Kristina, he's not here anymore; he can't hurt you!"

Kristina grabbed her mother's shower gel and the loofah and began scrubbing herself; she did not seem to notice that she was still in her drenched clothes. She scrubbed her bare arms furiously as though her life depended on it; causing them to turn red from the harshness of her touch. She felt as though her skin were crawling; she told herself that she was disgusting and dirty.

--- "Krissy, I know exactly how you're feeling! I did the same thing. After that man raped me in that alleyway, and made me fish through the dumpster for my clothes, I thought I'd never be clean again. I went back to the hotel, and I took a scalding hot shower for three hours. When I got out, my skin, other than the bruises from the beating he gave me, was red from the heat of the shower. I still felt dirty. I felt that way for months afterwards. But you know what, the difference between you and I is that where I was alone, you've got a family that is here for you! We're going to get your through this sweetheart!"

Kristina continued to scrub herself absentmindedly, ignoring her sister's words. Sam needed to get her attention.

--- "KRISTINA STOP!"

Kristina seemed to have come out of her trance by Sam's sudden scream. It wasn't an angry scream, it was more like a sad pleading. Kristina had caused her sister so much pain over the past week, she could not help but listen to what she had to say.

--- "Honey, when Spinelli told me that that freak had you tied up, all I saw was red. I flashbacked to when I was raped, and how terrified I felt; I couldn't let that happen to you. That's why I ran into the hospital after you. Krissy, even if there were 25 gunmen in that hospital guarding the door to you, I would've come in after you! That's how much I love you. Mom helped me realize that this wasn't your fault, it was that bastards! You wouldn't have been in that position if that bastard didn't try and take advantage of you! The reason I'm in this chair is because that sick freak stabbed me while I was trying to save you from the same fate I had faced. It's _not _your fault! _NONE _of this is your fault! No woman ever deserves to be treated as you were."

Kristina finally began to feel her wall crumble around her as she heard her sister talk to her.

--- "Baby, I know that I was angry with you. I think that I was more angry about the fact that you were basically following the same path that I did as a kid. I'm not going to lie to you, I'm angry! I'm soooo angry; I don't want to be in this chair. But honey, I think that at this point, I'm furious over the fact that that bastard violated you the way that he did. I'm angry that you are shutting yourself away because you believe that you deserve all this and that you don't deserve to be loved! Honey, I don't want you to blame yourself anymore. I don't want you to hide away inside yourself because of what that man did to you – to us! I want you to let Mom and I to help you get through this. Shit, I want you to help me get through _this!_ Don't you _dare _become a victim, Kristina! I won't have you let this guy take another piece of you."

Kristina threw everything inside the shower on the floor. She then stepped out of the shower, and started breaking everything in sight. She threw bottles of shampoo across the bathroom, and bottles of perfume on the floor; she grabbed anything in her path and threw them. Kristina tore the bathroom apart, feeling her voice come back to her with each broken bottle and glass. Finally she stopped, she dropped the bottle of perfume, she had been ready to toss at the mirror, on the ground by her feet. She felt as though all the emotion that she had been unable to express over the past week had begun to erupt inside of her. She let out a painful screaming sob.

--- "HE RAPED ME!"

Alexis ran in and pulled Kristina into her arms. Kristina cried and beat her mother's arms, not intentionally, but the rage was too much in her, she couldn't control herself; Alexis did not seem to notice. Sam sat in her chair in the corner beside the shower, elbows on her knees, and her face hidden behind her hands.

Lainey realized that her help was no longer needed; Alexis would call her when she needed an appointment.

* * *

Alexis helped Kristina change out of her soaking wet clothes, and lied with her in her bed until she fell asleep. Alexis did not ask her daughter for any details as to what happened to her; she figured that when Kristina was ready, she would tell her. When Kristina finally fell asleep, Alexis got up, and went to Sam's room.

Sam was sitting on her bed, where Alexis had placed her, staring into space. Alexis walked in and sat beside her eldest daughter.

--- "I had really hoped that he didn't touch her."

Sam looked at her mother.

--- "I know."

--- "How do I help her get through this?"

--- "Mom, she'll get through it. She's got so much support; she'll be fine. Look, I got through it — by myself, no less. Kristina's going to be fine."

Alexis looked at Sam, and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

--- "If it weren't for you, honey, she would not have come out of her shock."

Sam quietly whispered.

--- "If it weren't for me, she wouldn't have remembered being raped."

Alexis sat up.

--- "Sam, it was better for her to remember what happened to her now, then have the suppressed memories come out later on in a public place. Kristina needed to remember what happened to her."

--- "Damn! I just can't wrap my mind around this! How did things get so bad in such a short period of time?!"

Alexis sighed.

--- "I don't know. But, we have to play with the cards that were dealt to us."

--- "What does that mean?"

--- "We go for a royal flush and beat the house's ass."

Sam laughed out loud.

--- "I definitely didn't know you knew _anything _about cards, Mom!"

Alexis smacked Sam in the arm. Sam rested her head on her mother's shoulder. Alexis kissed the top of her head.

--- "You know, if there's one good thing that's come out of all this shit, it's that I have my three girls back home, and I can take care of you all."

--- "Mom, seriously, it's as though you have two toddlers and a tween! Molly's the only one that isn't completely screwed up by this whole thing!"

--- "Well, my toddlers will get stronger in no time and won't need me anymore. I just want you girls to come out of this hell better than how you went into it. I don't want this bastard winning my children's spirits."

Alexis moved Sam off of her, and got up from the bed. She reached went through one of Sam's drawers for tape, gauze, and ointment. She helped Sam lay down, and changed the dressing on her wound. She looked at Sam's back and noticed the bullet wound scar, along with a shorter rounded scar. She passed her finger on it. Sam realized that Alexis just noticed the scar from the rape; she felt a tear fall to her back, but let it go unnoticed.

--- "[ahem] Patrick told me that you should get the stitches out in a couple more days. Then we can start you out with physical therapy. Honey, before you know it, you'll be moving around on your own."

Alexis pulled the back of Sam's shirt down, and helped her sit back up.

--- "I really can't say this enough, but thanks Mom."

Alexis put her hand to her daughter's face.

--- "Honey, you're more than welcome. – Alright, we need to order some food before Molly gets home from camp."

Alexis helped Sam into the wheelchair, and rolled her to the living room where they ordered dinner from the Metro Court.

Kristina, still somber from her discovery, awoke from her short nap and joined her mother and sister in the living room. She sat by Alexis on the couch, laying her head on her mother's lap.

--- "How are you feeling sweetheart?"

--- "I'm tired."

Alexis sighed.

--- "Me too, honey."

--- "What do we do now?"

Alexis took Sam's hand into her own, and took Kristina's hand with the other.

--- "Baby, we rebuild."


	24. Rebuilding

Note: I do not own the rights to any of these characters

Quick Note: The first and third sections are consecutive days, while the middle occurs some time before the first or second sections occurred. (Make sense??)

Hope you enjoy it… As usual please review! And thanks again to my regular readers and reviewers. Your comments are very encouraging. :o)

**CHAPTER 24**

It had been a week since Sam's stitches were taken out, and she already felt a difference in her range of motion. She hated the fact that her legs were now useless to her, at least until the doctors determined whether or not her condition was permanent, but she, Kristina, and Alexis had made a pact that they would not become victims to what had happened to them at Jeff's hands. While Kristina was regularly seeing Lainey Winters and continuously writing her feelings in her journal, Sam was trying her best to regain her independence.

Sam pushed her physical therapist, Mark, to allow her to do more and more upper body strength exercises. When he told her to try ten repetitions of a certain exercise, Sam consistently tried to sneak in a few more, until she felt her arms aching. He told her to stop overexerting herself and to be patient, that her strength would come back, but Sam was determined; she needed to feel like a complete adult again.

Each night, when she was ready for bed, or rather, when her mother was ready for bed, Alexis would take Sam to her room, help her change into her pajamas, and then _tuck her in_ for the night. Then each morning, around eight, Alexis came into Sam's room, helped her out of the bed, and wheeled her into the bathroom. While Sam brushed her teeth, and washed her face, Alexis went to make sure that Molly had awoken and was getting ready for day camp. Alexis would return just as Sam was drying her face, and wheeled her down for breakfast. Sam tried to convince her mother to try and allow her to wheel herself around for once, but Alexis always told her no. Alexis had been speaking with Mark, who told her that her daughter was trying to push herself too hard. As a result, until Mark gave her the thumbs up for allowing Sam to do certain things on her own, Alexis continued to care for her daughter; in essence, she was afraid that too much movement on Sam's part might result in further injury to her spinal cord.

While she loved Alexis dearly, Sam felt that her mother was overbearing and too overprotective. Sam spent practically every waking hour, outside of the two hours a day she spent in physical therapy, with Alexis. Sam was, quite frankly, tired of looking at her and awaited the day she would move back to her apartment.

**Flashback**

_--- "Mom, I'm not spending my day at your office!—"_

_--- "Sam…"_

_--- "I'm serious! Do you even understand how boring that place is? Why don't you just take me to my office? I'm sure I can find something to do there. I've got a P.I. license, I'll figure out how to put it to some use."_

_--- "How about I go with you to your office, and you pick up your paperwork, then we'll go to my office, and you'll put your license to some use there?"_

_Sam rolled her eyes at her mother._

_--- "Mom, you are aware that I'm a –"_

_Alexis took her glasses off, and rubbed the bridge of her nose. _

_--- "Samantha, before you tell me that you're an adult, or a grown woman, I already told you that I'm well aware of that fact. The point of the matter is that I can't leave you by yourself at the office! Honey, Mark hasn't told me that you can be left alone yet!"_

_Sam put her face in her hand and muffled a frustrated scream._

**End of Flashback**

Sam knew that the reason Alexis was obsessed with her care was a mixture of guilt at not raising her, and from love. She understood that her mother only wanted to help her, and even though her efforts ended up making Sam feel like an infant, that was not her intention.

**Flashback**

_--- "Ok, Sam, I want you to try and move yourself along this bar five steps. You need to move slowly, so you don't fall."_

_--- "How exactly do you expect me to take five steps, Mark, did you forget I can't walk?"_

_--- "SAMANTHA!"_

_It had only been a day since her stitches were removed, so Alexis had decided to sit in on Sam's first session of physical therapy to ensure that she did not get hurt._

_--- "It's okay, Ms. Davis. -- Sam, you have to build your upper body strength. I know you can't walk, but you need to get some strength into your legs and arms, so that you can lift yourself from the chair, and onto another seat."_

_Mark pulled Sam up from the chair, and onto the bar. Sam slowly tried to move herself across the bar, but was shocked by the pain. She fell down._

_--- "SHIT!"_

_--- "Honey, it's okay, just take your time."_

_Mark helped Sam up. She tried to move again, but fell hard on her stomach, screaming in pain. Alexis found this too much to bear. _

_--- "Baby, you know what, maybe we started this too early. I think we need to start with something easier. -- Mark, she's still too weak for this kind of work!"_

_Sam was not only in pain, but she was tired of her mother's interference._

_--- "DAMN IT MOM! —"_

_Alexis stopped her before she could continue._

_--- "Samantha, watch your tone."_

_Mark helped Sam up from the floor and onto her wheelchair. He stepped out of the room because he did not want to be involved in what appeared to be an argument brewing between his new client and her mother._

_--- "NO, MOM! I'm tired of this! God, PT isn't supposed to be fun, and it's not supposed to be easy! I'm not gonna break!"_

_--- "I KNOW YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BREAK, SAM! I just don't want you to fall, and injure yourself some more! You just got your stitches out, and this guy is already having you up on your legs; I'm getting you a new therapist."_

_--- "NO! I'm not switching therapists, and I don't want you coming to PT with me anymore."_

_Alexis threw her hands up in exasperation. _

_--- "You know what Samantha? I'm not liking your attitude."_

_--- "Well, I'm sorry, but you being here just makes me nervous, and puts me on edge."_

_Alexis didn't respond; she just walked out of the room._

**End of Flashback**

Sam decided that for her sanity and for the sake of her relationship with her mother, she needed to prove to Alexis that she was not made of glass; she would have to show her that she was capable of caring for herself. The sooner she accomplished this goal, the quicker she would be able to move back to her place.

At night, when Alexis went to bed, Sam practiced rolling over on her own, and bending down to touch her toes. She did this every night, sometimes for an hour at a time, until she broke a sweat. One evening, exhausted from this work out, Sam set her alarm for seven o'clock; the next morning, Sam planned to prove to her mother she was a big girl.

* * *

With her sister's help, and sessions with Lainey, Kristina was coping with the rape. She was still very quiet, but she was responsive when spoken to, and spent more time in the living room with her family, than in her bedroom. When she felt down, she wrote her unexpressed feelings in her journal.

One night, terrified to sleep by herself after having a nightmare involving Jeff, Kristina found herself softly knocking at Sam's door. The light was shining underneath the door, so she figured that her sister was still awake, and only in bed because their mother was not.

--- "Come in."

Kristina turned the knob and walked in.

--- "Hi, honey. What are you doing up?"

Kristina noticed that Sam was out of breath.

--- "I had a nightmare. – Why are you out of breath?"

Sam wiped her forehead.

--- "Close the door. – Well, Mom's driving me insane; she seems to think that I'm a porcelain doll. So when she goes to bed, after tucking me in of course, I try to build up my strength by rolling over and touching my toes."

Kristina laughed, but quickly apologized when Sam frowned.

Alexis still refused to have her door placed back on the hinges, not for fear that Kristina would run off with a guy, but for fear of what she might do to herself. Alexis had read that many rape victims found ways to deal with their pain in the form of cutting, drug or alcohol use. Since Kristina already landed herself in the hospital for alcohol poisoning, and when Alexis cleaned out her daughter's closet, she discovered marijuana, Alexis decided that it was for the best to keep Kristina's room completely accessible at all times.

--- "I'm sorry Sam, I'm not laughing at you; I'm laughing at the fact that Mom is treating us both like fragile china. I mean, she thinks I'm suicidal! She won't let me have my door back!"

Sam shook her head.

--- "Well, at least she let's you dress yourself! I'm shocked I'm even able to choose my outfits each day. She thinks that I'm incapable of doing anything by myself. She won't let me even _try _to wheel myself around until Mark tells her its okay. I love her to death, of course, but my goodness, she's killing me! –- So tell me about your nightmare."

Kristina walked to the bed lied down on her stomach next to her sister, pulling the covers on top of her. She laid her head on the pillow, and quietly told Sam her dream.

--- "I was in my room, and he climbed in through the window. He covered my mouth with his hand, and pulled my pants down and raped me. Then you came running into the room to save me, and he pulled out a gun and shot you."

Sam remembered having similar dreams after she was raped, except that no one ever came in to try and save her. She scooted herself down to her pillow, and rolled over to face her sister, who looked like she was about to fall asleep.

--- "That bastard won't ever come after you again. He's going to prison."

Kristina had already fallen asleep. Sam kissed her on her nose, took her sister's hand into her own, and fell asleep.

The next morning, Molly walked past Kristina's room only to find her bed empty. She knew her sister would never be up that early, so she checked her mother's room, but Alexis was alone and sprawled across her bed. Molly went to the other side of the house to Sam's room. She never bothered to knock on the door, so she just opened it; she found Kristina asleep with Sam.

--- "HEY! No fair! You had a sleepover without me!"

Sam woke up at the sound of her little clone's upset.

--- "Aw, baby, come here, we didn't have a sleepover! Kristina had a bad dream and since I was awake, she came in here to talk, but fell asleep."

Molly climbed into the bed with her sisters, and gave Sam a big hug.

--- "I miss you Sam."

Sam snuggled Molly in her arms. She gave her a kiss on the top of the head.

--- "You miss me? I live here now! You see me everyday!"

--- "Yeah, but its not the same… we don't get to hang out anymore or do fun things!"

Molly wanted to continue, but she did not want to hurt Sam's feelings; it was not Sam's fault that she could no longer walk. But being eight, all Molly knew was that she missed having Sam to swim and go out with.

--- "I know honey… Um, I tell you what, how about you and I spend the whole day here without Mommy or Kristina? We'll lock them in their rooms! I know that it wouldn't be as fun as going out, but we can make it fun here. We can watch movies, and eat popcorn, and play games! And when I get stronger, Mol, I promise, we'll you out and have a crazy fun day. What do you think?"

Molly looked up at her sister, with a huge smile on her face.

--- "Really?! OK!"

Just then, Alexis walked into the room looking as disheveled as she typically did in the morning before her coffee: hair in a messy ponytail, glasses on her face, and barefoot. She yawned, but smiled when she saw her three girls packed on Sam's bed: Kristina, still asleep, and Molly in Sam's arms. Sam smiled at her mother's appearance.

--- "Good morning sunshine."

Alexis scowled at her eldest daughter before moving to lie on Sam's couch.

--- "What happened here last night? How'd you end up with a full house?"

Sam and Molly smiled.

--- "Sisterly bonding. Commiserating over our crazy mother."

Alexis threw a throw pillow at Sam, hitting a sleeping Kristina in the process. Kristina groaned in her sleep before rolling over and continuing to sleep.

--- "Good job, Mom."

Alexis, Sam, and Molly busted out in muffled laughter as Kristina hated being woken up from her sleep.

* * *

Sam woke up refreshed and ready to make a point that morning. The wheelchair was, as usual, right next to her bed; her robe was hanging from it. She pulled the covers off of her, and began to undress like the physical therapist recommended she do before going to the bathroom for a shower. She sat up straight, leaning on her left arm, she pulled the right side of her pants and underwear down; she then leaned on her right arm, and did the same to the left side. She then pulled the pants and underwear off her legs completely. She took her top off fairly easily, with only a small twinge of pain, and she reached over and pulled the robe on and tied it around her. She smiled at her accomplishment. _'Alright, good job Sam, Step 1, DONE!'_

The next step was getting into the wheelchair without falling off the bed. She took her time, as she carefully put each foot down on the floor. She used her slowly building upper body strength to painfully lift herself from the bed and onto the chair. She was grateful that Mark did not listen to her mother when she told him that it was too early for her to work on moving across the bar; Sam could already feel a difference in her strength. She worked through the pain, and although she nearly toppled over, found herself in the chair. _"HAHA! Step 2, SUCCESS!"_

Wheeling herself towards the bathroom was harder than she thought it would be. Although she was not a heavy woman, on the contrary, she was exceptionally petite, she still had to basically wheel her body weight across the room. Sam slowly got herself into the bathroom, and proceeded to brush her teeth as normal. When she finished, she wheeled herself to the tub.

Sam prayed that she could manage to do this on her own. She angled the wheelchair and placed each leg into the tub, then gripped one hand on the armrest, and the other on the bar and proceeded to lift herself. Unfortunately, her arm strength gave out, and she fell backwards, hitting her head on the bathroom floor.


	25. Resurfacing

Note: I do not own the rights to any of the characters.

Sorry for taking long to put this up. I wrote this last night, but of course I needed to reread it.

Ok, so I'm a law student, not a med student, so whatever happens in this chapter is not based on any scientific fact or background. It is pure BS and quite frankly, a soap opera; stranger things have happened! So, suspend your disbelief! :o)

As usual, I thank you for your support, and ask that you keep reviewing! More reviews equals my incentive to update daily! ;o)

**CHAPTER 25**

Alexis was up early. She had to get to the office to pick up some paperwork. When she finished showering and dressing, she looked at the time, it was eight o'clock; she needed to wake Sam. She walked down the hall and across the living room towards Sam's room. When she walked into the room, however, Sam was not in her bed. Alexis had a bad feeling her daughter had done something ridiculous, as her wheelchair was not where she had put it the night before.

--- "_SAM?"_

Alexis walked across her daughter's room and towards her bathroom. She was shocked to find her daughter unconscious on the floor with her legs hanging listlessly over the tub. Alexis ran over to the intercom and called Kristina.

--- "KRISTINA, WAKE UP! CALL AN AMBULANCE. SAM'S FALLEN."

Alexis ran to Sam and covered her up with the robe in the wheelchair. She noted that Sam was breathing; she just appeared to have been unconscious. She patted her face trying to wake her.

--- "Sam, honey, you need to wake up."

Kristina ran into the bathroom and found her mother leaning over Sam.

--- "The ambulance is on the way."

Kristina knelt beside her mother watching as she she tried smacking her sister awake.

--- "Come on sweetheart, wake up."

Suddenly Sam began to regain consciousness. She felt like her head was splitting open.

--- "Oh my gosh, what the hell!"

Alexis was beyond relieved to see Sam had awoken.

--- "Honey, don't move. You fell while you were trying to get into the tub by yourself. Damn it! Why didn't you just wait for me to help you?"

Sam tried to sit up again, but her legs were dangling in the tub, and everything was spinning.

--- "Before you say anything, I'm not going back to the hospital! Just give me a few minutes, and I'll be fine."

Alexis ignored Sam.

--- "Kristina, grab Sam some clothes; she's not going to the hospital like this. – Sam, stop trying move; I think you've done enough."

Alexis took Sam's feet out of the tub, and lifted her onto the wheelchair. Alexis wheeled Sam into her room, and onto the bed, and handed her the clothes Kristina had picked out.

--- "Here, Samantha, you managed to get yourself out of your pajamas, onto the chair, and into the bathroom, trying to prove a point, right? Dress yourself before the ambulance gets here."

Sam could not manage to think straight; her head was killing her that badly. She was not in the mood for Alexis lesson teaching on the effects of trying to be independent too soon. She hated to have to ask her mother for help, but she did not have much of a choice.

--- "Mom, come on! My head is killing me, can you just help me… please."

Of course Alexis was not about to let her daughter sit there helpless. She knew Sam was in pain, but she also knew that it was stupid for her to try and move around on her own before she was completely ready to do so.

--- "Kristina, go check to see if the ambulance has arrived. — God, Samantha, I swear you are ridiculous sometimes. Why the hell would you try to do something so stupid! Honey, I know that you want your independence, but seriously, you could've set yourself back by pulling such a stunt! Damn it! I could kill you for that. You scared the shit out of me."

--- "Can you just save the 'I told you so' for later?"

Alexis gave Sam death glare. She was about to lecture her some more, but Sam quickly apologized.

--- "Mom, I'm _sorry_! But can you at least_ somewhat_ see that I _can_ do some things on my own! I did manage to undress myself, and wheel myself to the bathroom, and even though I fell getting into the tub, that's got to mean something! I didn't mean to scare you, but you treat me like an oversized baby, and it's _embarrassing_. I _hate _it! I'm paralyzed, but I'm not an invalid!"

--- "Sweetheart, I'm sorry if you feel as though I treat you like a baby, but it's for reasons like this, that I do! Honey, you could've seriously hurt yourself! I already told you that I will _not_ apologize for caring about you."

Kristina peaked her head in.

--- "Mommy, the paramedics are here."

--- "Great, she's—all—dressed; okay, let them in. – Hi gentlemen, my daughter is paralyzed, and she fell and hit her head while getting into the tub. I found her unconscious, but I don't know how long she had been out. She complained about having a headache and everything spinning."

Sam looked at her mother and rolled her eyes.

--- "Believe it or not, guys, I may have lost the function of my legs, but I can still speak. You can direct any questions to me. Thanks Mom."

Alexis threw her hands up and sighed.

The paramedics checked Sam out, then placed her on the stretcher and took her to the hospital. Since Viola had already arrived to take Molly to day camp, Alexis and Kristina drove to the hospital.

* * *

Patrick decided that since he already had Sam getting a CT for her head to make sure that she didn't suffer a concussion, he would also have one done on her back; he wanted to check to see how her spine was healing.

After the CT Scans were done, and he reviewed the images, he stepped into the examination room where Alexis, Sam, and Kristina were waiting for him.

--- "Alright, I have good news. Sam, you have a slight concussion."

Sam gave him a puzzled look.

--- "Dr. Drake, I'm sorry, but how is having a concussion good news?"

Patrick laughed.

--- "Well, that's not the good news I had for you. I had a CT scan done on your back, and from what I can see, the swelling around your spinal cord has decreased dramatically since your surgery two weeks ago."

Alexis was getting excited because she realized what Patrick was saying. She grabbed Sam and Kristina's hands.

--- "Patrick, are you saying that Sam's paralysis isn't permanent? She'll be able to walk again?"

Sam gasped. This was better than good news; this was fantastic news!

--- "Well, it's looking like a very good possibility. You see, now that the swelling went down around the cord, I was able to see the damage that existed. To be frank, it's quite minor in regard to spinal injuries that I've seen. You see, when someone's spinal cord is severed, the likelihood that they'll walk again is slim to none. That's _not_ the case here. In your case, a couple of nerves on your spinal cord were damaged, which resulted in a loss of sensation in your legs. Now, I'm confident that with surgery, I can correct the damage."

Alexis was thrilled, but cautious at the same time.

--- "Patrick, what's the likelihood that once Sam has this surgery that she'll be able to walk again?"

--- "Alexis, this type of surgery is fairly new, but I've done it before, and I'm ninety percent sure that I'll succeed again. Now, Sam will of course need to continue physical therapy because this isn't an overnight fix. I mean, I can almost guarantee that she'll have feeling back in her legs again, but she'll have to re-teach them to function."

Alexis was nervous.

--- "Is there a chance that my daughter could die from this procedure? I mean, what's the other ten percent?"

--- "Every surgery has a possibility of complications. I'm not going to lie to you, like in any surgery, death is possible, but the likelihood of that happening in this particular one is slim. Alexis, whenever you work on someone's spinal cord, there's always a place of concern for a surgeon because anything can go wrong. But like I said, Sam's injury is relatively minor in comparison to other injuries I've seen, and have been corrected with surgery. The worst case scenario, without factoring in the _very _slim possibility of death, is that Sam remains paralyzed; but take into consideration that without the surgery, she'll remain this way anyway."

Sam interjected.

--- "So in the end, I might as well have the surgery because not doing it will have the same results as doing it and having complications?"

--- "Exactly."

Sam looked at her mother, and gave her hand a squeeze.

--- "Ok, so how soon can we do this?"

Alexis was not happy with her daughter's rash decision.

--- "Samantha—"

Sam shook her head.

--- "Mom, no. You're not going stop me from doing this! I'm sorry, but this isn't about whether or not you want me to wheel myself around, or get myself in the tub. You're not making this decision for me too. This one's mine to make, and I'm doing this."

Alexis sighed. She did not want Sam to jump into something this big without researching everything, but Sam was right, she could not make this decision for her. Alexis relented, but prayed that Sam would be fine.

--- "Fine, honey. But let me tell you something, if you die on that table, I _will_ kill you."

If Sam could have jumped for air at that moment, she would have done so at that very moment.

--- "Thanks Mom. – Alright Patrick, let's do this!"

Patrick smiled, as he opened the examination room door and let Epiphany, Robin and Bobby in.

--- "Well, I figured you'd say yes, so I took it upon myself to schedule you for surgery right away. We just need to get you prepped."

Sam was shocked, but ecstatic. Alexis was nervous as can be, but she put on a brave face as Epiphany helped Sam onto the stretcher.

Alexis gave her a hug and a kiss, and wished her luck.

--- "Honey, I'll be waiting for you."

Kristina did the same.

--- "I hope this works! I don't want that bastard to have hurt you permanently!"

After they said their good-byes, Sam was wheeled out of the room and prepped for surgery.

* * *

Patrick told Alexis that the surgery would take at least three hours to perform. As a formality, He suggested that they go home and come back, but he knew that Alexis would never do that; she would want to be around if anything happened.

Kristina and Alexis sat in the waiting area outside of the nurses' station. Kristina wanted to let her mother know what had been going on in her head since she discovered what that pig had done to her.

--- "Mommy? Can we talk?"

Alexis always knew that her daughter was in a fragile state when she continuously referred to her as 'mommy;' she had been doing so since they rescued her from the Metro Court

--- "Krissy, you can talk to me about anything."

Kristina sighed; she did not know where to begin.

--- "I just feel so dirty all the time. Like, I take long hot showers, but I still feel him all over me."

Alexis looked at her daughter for a long time before she responded. She tried to think of the words she could say that would make Kristina feel better, but since she had never been in that position, she found it difficult.

--- "Baby, you won't feel like this all the time. That son of a bitch is in jail, and he'll probably stay there for an incredibly long time. Honey, you did nothing wrong in this; this was not your fault. Okay? It's not going to be easy to get through this, but you will."

--- "But, won't they just say I let him touch me all those times before! How can I just say, yea, will _this _time it was rape! I mean, how is all of this not my fault?"

Alexis pulled Kristina to her.

--- "Honey, there are three things you should know about the law. The first is that you can have sex with a guy numerous times, but the moment you tell him to stop, he has to. You have a right to your own body, and nobody can touch you without your consent. The second thing is that when a person drugs you, the law says that consent _cannot_ be given because the drugged person is not in their sound mind at the time to freely give consent to an act. Therefore, he having sex with you is rape simply because you couldn't have agreed to have sex with him since you drugged him. Remember, we have blood proof that you were drugged. Finally, baby, the third most important thing is that you're underage; this is statutory rape even if you gave your consent! No matter what defenses he claims to have, be it that he didn't know that you were drugged, or that you consented to sleep with him, he found out that you were underage when Sam caught him with you. The law is clear on this matter; that jackass is going to jail. Baby, no matter what you may have done, you didn't deserve what happened to you, and I will make damned sure that he pays for it."

Kristina pulled away from her mother.

--- "Mom, I'm _so _sorry for the way that I've treated you. I was _so_ nasty to you, and you didn't deserve it. I said so many mean things to you, and especially to Sam, and I'm so sorry!"

Alexis took Kristina's face into her hands.

--- "Baby, its ok; I accept your apology."

Kristina felt happier than she had in the past two weeks. She had let her guilt over everything consume her, but now that Sam was probably going to be able to walk again, her mother forgave her, and Jeff was probably going to jail, she finally felt as though her life was coming back together again.

Since Kristina was opening up to her, Alexis thought that she would try to get her daughter to continue letting her in.

--- "Honey, can I ask you a question?"

Kristina had a feeling as to what her mother was about to ask her.

--- "You want to know why I started acting out in the first place?"

Alexis gave her daughter a sad smile and a nod. Kristina sighed and answered.

--- "Well, at first, I just wanted some attention from Daddy. I miss him, Mom, and I never get to see him. But I think it's obvious that he doesn't care about me. I mean he never even came by to see me or even _called_ me after all this has happened!"

Alexis never told her daughter that Sonny had been missing; she was not sure what had been going on with all that. But to be honest, she really didn't have the time to be concerned with Sonny and the results of his mob ties; taking care of her daughters took priority.

--- "Honey, I never told you because we had so much going on, but apparently your father is missing."

Kristina's mouth fell, but she quickly recovered. She loved her father and was worried about him, but she was tired of the constant turmoil that his lifestyle caused.

--- "You know what, I'm not even going to say anything about that. I'm sure he's fine. – But anyway, my biggest issue was, maybe it still is, is that I feel like you put so much pressure on me. It's hard to be perfect all of the time—"

--- "Baby, I never expected you to be perfect! And I'm sorry for making you feel that way."

--- "Well, when I see Sam and your relationship, I'm a little jealous. She's far from perfect, she didn't go to college, she was a con, she came with a lot of baggage, but you're still close, I want that relationship; Sam does what she wants without having to worry about disappointing you, and you're fine with it."

Alexis shook her head.

--- "Sweetheart, I'm sure if you ask Sam, and if she's truly honest with you, she struggles with the same feelings that you have. Maybe you were too young to remember, but when I found out that Sam was mine, things weren't easy. Sam _hated _me, and I can't say that I was all that fond of her either. We fought _all _the time, honey. At one point, I kicked her out of the house, and told her to never come back. It was _hard_. After the incident with Ric, I didn't want to have anything to do with her. But then she got into some trouble and needed me to defend her, so I did."

--- "Why? She slept with your husband—"

Alexis cut Kristina off.

--- "Because no matter what happens, and despite how furious I am, I will always take care of you girls."

Kristina nodded her head in agreement. Alexis pushed Kristina's hair behind her ear.

--- "When I had cancer, Sam was the one who told me that I didn't have to try to beat it alone. Despite how hard I fought her and screamed at her to leave me alone, she wouldn't. Your sister took me to chemo, when I couldn't get myself out of the tub, Sam was always there to get me out, when I was nauseous, she _got me pot_! She worked so hard to feel as though she wasn't a disappointment to me, and wanted so badly to feel as though I loved her."

--- "Did you love her?"

--- "Honey, I loved your sister the moment she was born. When I found out that Samantha McCall, the woman whom I had previously caused so much pain, was that baby I gave up, and I saw her dying in the hospital bed, I couldn't help but love her. Regardless of our past issues, she was mine."

Kristina nodded. She remembered when her mother told her that Sam was her big sister. From that moment, Kristina loved Sam.

--- "The point is that after going through so much with someone, even if you didn't have the greatest previous relationship, you're bound to get close. Our relationship didn't come naturally; we actually had to work at it. And believe it or not, it was hard; it's still hard! Sam still has some resentment toward me for giving her up, and sometimes I find myself doubting her when she's in a precarious position she knew she had no business being in. So baby, I don't want to have the same relationship with you, like I have with your sister; I don't want my relationship with you to be that difficult."

Kristina put her head down on her mother's lap; that was always her favorite way to lie next to Alexis. Alexis began to play with her daughter's dark hair.

--- "You know, Mom, I just don't want to feel like if I fail at doing something, that I've disappointed you. I just want us to be close even if I fail."

Alexis stopped playing with Kristina's hair, and tapped her on her chin, forcing her to look up at her.

--- "Krissy, there's nothing that you can do that'll make me stop loving you, and stop making us close. You and your sisters are stuck with my overbearing and controlling self for life! Okay?! "

--- "Okay."

Alexis leaned down and gave Kristina a kiss on the forehead. For the first time in weeks, Kristina enjoyed being with her mother.

* * *

The surgery was over and Sam was wheeled to recovery. Her mother and sister sat by her bedside anxiously waiting for her to wake up. Alexis held Sam's hand, taking note of how small they were.

--- "For your sister's sake, I hope that she has feelings in her legs. She's beyond tired of me. I think I might have been just _a teensy_ bit crazy with her!"

Kristina smirked.

--- "Mom, I think that's a little bit of an understatement."

Alexis playfully smacked Kristina in the back of the head.

--- "Hey, hey, hey, you two… no fighting."

Both Alexis and Kristina turned around and noticed that Sam had awoken. Alexis got up and gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead.

--- "Baby, I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am to hear your voice. Were you afraid that I'd kill you if you died?"

Sam smiled. She groggily replied,

--- "Yea, no one should have to die twice!"

Kristina could not wait for Patrick to come into the room. She pulled the sheets off of Sam, and squeezed Sam's toes.

--- "So… Can you feel this?"


	26. Spoiled

Ok folks, the weekend is here, and I'm a social butterfly with TONS of case reading and briefing that should've been done a long time ago. Here's your chapter, but don't expect an update until** Friday or Saturday** (**I know I originally said Monday or Tuesday, but I have to write a case memo, and it's due on Thursday! SORRY!) **since I'm back at the office next week. This one's a little longer just so you can get your fix to hold you over until I write a new chapter.

Keep reviewing regular reviewers, and readers who haven't reviewed yet, I want to hear from you! Come on! :o)

**Note: I do not own the rights to any of these characters.**

**CHAPTER 26**

Kristina pulled the covers up from Sam's leg and squeezed her sister's toes.

--- "So, can you feel this?"

Kristina had a large smile on her face that quickly disappeared when Sam's face fell. Alexis noticed the change in her daughter's demeanor as well, so she got up and poked at Sam's thighs, calves, and feet.

--- "Do you feel anything?"

Sam simply shook her head. She felt all the hope that she had of finally resuming her normal life crumble inside of her; she was going to be stuck at the lake house with Alexis and the girls indefinitely. Her mother was going to be able to continue to baby her, she was not going to be able to do anything about it. She wanted her freedom and independence, and now it seemed that all hopes of that were dashed.

Alexis saw Sam's disappointment and reached over to embrace her, but Sam forcefully pushed her away.

--- "Samantha, what the hell?!"

Sam looked at her mother in anger. She was not actually angry at Alexis, but in true Davis fashion, since her mother was the closest, other than herself, to the situation, she lashed out at her.

--- "Mom, don't _touch_ me! Are you fucking happy now? It looks like you've still got your poor and helpless baby to take care of! Isn't that what you wanted, and what you enjoyed? Taking care of the little girl you gave up for adoption? This was your second chance! And now, just when I thought that I was going to be free from that torturous hell, I get this fucking surgery done, and I'm right back at square _one! _ My back is in stitches _again_, I'm in pain _again_, and now you can continue to play dress up doll with me!

Alexis was angry. She was not only angry at the situation, but at her ungrateful daughter as well.

--- "How _dare_ you accuse me of wanting you to remain paralyzed? I've hated seeing you like this for the past few weeks! Do you really think that it was a fucking picnic for me too? I'm breaking my back taking care of you, Samantha! Lifting you from the bed to the chair, the chair to the toilet, the chair to the tub, and back. I'm _exhausted_, but you know what, SAMANTHA!? You wouldn't have noticed since you've been so self-centered and self-absorbed in your own problems, much like a little baby! We seemed to be getting along fine, but for whatever reason, ever since you got your stitches taken out, you've done nothing but bitch and moan about how I'm babying you!"

This was turning into a blow out fight between mother and daughter. Kristina tried to interject.

--- "Sam, Mom, come on-"

Both Sam and Alexis turned and cut her off.

--- "STAY OUT THIS!"

Sam jumped in before Alexis could continue.

--- "Yea, you tell me how you'd fucking feel being made to feel like an infant? My God, you wouldn't let me make any attempts to do anything! If I made any effort to dress myself, you were yelling at me that I'd hurt myself, trying to move from the chair onto something else, you'd give me the same bullshit-"

--- "And I see how well moving out of the chair worked for you this morning! You gave yourself a concussion! The physical therapist told me that you were pushing yourself too hard; he suggested that I continue to help you until he told me otherwise. I was going by what Mark told me. I know you were annoyed, and at first embarrassed by the help that I gave you, but you had to know that I was not trying to keep you permanently dependent on me!"

--- "Please! You kept me by your side like a fucking newborn. I'm really shocked that you didn't try to feed me too. You know, put a bib on little baby Davidovitch, and stick a bottle in my mouth."

Alexis was shocked; that was truly a low blow, even for Sam's standards.

--- "Why are you saying all of this, Samantha!? Why would you think that I would ever want you to stay paralyzed."

Sam pointed an accusatory finger at her mother.

--- "Didn't you try to convince me not to have the surgery? Admit it _MOM, _me sitting in the chair fed your guilt over _everything _that happened to me since I was given up: my conning past, my loser father, my _rape_? I swear, I think you got worse since I told you that I had been raped! You must have felt awfully bad about that one!"

Alexis was in shock at her daughter's accusations. She could not believe that Sam would think something so awful. While she felt horribly over the fact that her daughter had been raped, she certainly did not use her daughter's paralysis and helplessness as a means to feed her guilt.

--- "You know what, Sam, that has to be the _cruelest _thing that you've ever said to me! I cannot believe that you would think that I didn't want you to have the surgery because I wanted to have you be that baby again!? You can't be serious about that? I didn't want you to _jump in _to some experimental surgery without doing some research on it, and weighing your other options!"

--- "What other options did I fucking have, Mom? Stay in this chair for the rest of my life, oooor, stay in this chair for the rest of my life? Those were the options! Stay in that God damned chair for the rest of my life with you controlling my every move! I really don't even know why you're holding on to my apartment, you're probably not even going to let me move back there anyway. You wouldn't be able to keep a firm grasp on me there!"

Alexis was now at her wit's end with Sam's attitude towards her.

--- "You know what, _Sam_? If you don't want me to take care of you anymore, that's just fine. Take care of your own damned self!"

Patrick came in the room after hearing all the commotion.

--- "Ok, what is going on in here? I heard you all the way from the elevators!"

Alexis began to gather her things together, preparing to leave. Patrick had a puzzled look on his face.

--- "Alexis, don't you want to see if Sam's regained some sensation?"

Alexis grabbed Kristina by the hand and headed to the door. Just before she was about to walk out, she turned to answer Patrick.

--- "No bother; we already got our answer."

With that Alexis left the room without another word to Sam.

* * *

Alexis drove home in silence. Well, she did not have much of a choice in doing so since Kristina was at her session with Lainey, but even if her daughter had been in the car, Alexis would have been silent. She was beyond livid over Sam's attitude toward her; she could not believe that Sam would think for one second that she would have ever wanted her to stay paralyzed just so she could take care of her. Alexis' heart broke every time she had to help her daughter do anything she normally would have done on her own.

As Alexis pulled up to the lake house, her cell began to ring. She looked at the called I.D. and smiled at the incoming call.

--- "You are by far the _worst _best friend I've ever had! I've had the most horrible few weeks and you weren't here to help me deal with it!"

Diane smiled at the other end.

--- "Well clearly this horrible best friend of yours should just turn her car, full of very expensive wine, around instead of parking beside your _very _slow driving self!"

Alexis pulled into the driveway and was shocked to see that Diane was indeed pulling in beside her. She was ecstatic; she had not seen or spoken to her best friend in weeks, since she had been out of town dealing with some kind of business involving Sonny's missing status.

--- "Don't you dare turn around, Diane! I need those bottles of wine more than you can even know."

When Diane parked her car, Alexis walked over and gave her the biggest hug. Diane noticed the sadness in Alexis' demeanor.

--- "Hey, what's wrong with you? You look like somebody died?"

Alexis gave her a sad smile.

--- "Well, no one died, thank God, but there is a lot that I need to fill you in on. Now, where's my booze, let's get inside, and I'll tell you about it.

Diane handed Alexis two bottles, while she carried the other two in herself. When they walked to the house, Diane was shocked to see the obvious changes.

--- "Ok, what the hell happened!?"

Alexis unlocked her door, and led them inside. She opened a bottle, handed a glass to Diane and took one for herself. She then explained everything that had occurred in the past few weeks. When Alexis was done recounting the events that had transpired, Diane's mouth was practically touching the floor.

--- "Wow, Alexis, I'm so sorry that I wasn't here for you! Oh my God, Why didn't you call me?!"

Alexis was so grateful to have Diane back; she truly missed her best friend.

--- "Diane please, your client's missing, and you had a lot to deal with in regard to that, I didn't want to bother you with this. I mean, Sam's fine, well, she's not fine, but she's alive. She might hate me, but at least she's alive to do it."

Diane shook her head.

--- "That ungrateful little twirp! How could she treat you like that?! I mean really, from what I can see, you've done nothing but bend over backwards to make her comfortable! Did she really think that she'd be able to recover from a spinal cord injury and just do everything that she used to do? I'm sure that adjusting to life as a paraplegic must not have been easy for her, but to claim that you wanted her stay that way is unacceptable!"

Alexis laughed.

--- "Twirp? That's funny!"

--- "I'm serious, Alexis! I cannot believe that munchkin had the nerve to treat you like that! What other person would put up with that nonsense from her! I tell you what you're going to do—"

Alexis put her hand up to interrupt.

--- "Tell me what I'm going to do?"

--- "YES! You're going to teach that miniature gnome daughter of yours a lesson!"

Alexis nearly spit her wine out.

--- "GNOME?! Diane, really? I know Sam's small, but GNOME?! You're killing me!"

--- "I'm sorry, but damn it, for a tall woman, Alexis, you've produced some petite children! Are you sure they're yours?"

--- "Have you seen them? They all look alike! I mean Molly's Sam's carbon copy! Yea, I'm pretty sure they're my kids!"

Diane walked around the room looking at the pictures of Alexis' girls. She noticed their strong resemblance to each other, and took a sip of her wine.

--- "I don't know what more you could've done to show her how much you loved her than renovating your house, bathing and dressing her, taking her here and there, my goodness, there's a reason why I don't have kids! I'm thinking a nurse would've been hired, because there is no way in hell I would've been able to do all that, _and _deal with back talk?! Oh no!"

--- "You know, once you have kids, and they get hurt, you come to realize that you can and will do anything for them, regardless of how ungrateful they are. I know that Sam's not really mad at me, she's just lashing out because she really thought that this new surgery would've been the miracle cure. I also know that I was very controlling of her, and she hated that, but you know how I am. Sam was partially right, it _was _like taking care of that little baby I gave up years ago, but I _never _meant her to feel as though I was treating her like an infant!"

--- "Honey, you don't even need to explain any of that to me! I _know_ how much you love your girls, _and _I know how neurotic you are! But, that doesn't give Sam the right to mistreat and disrespect you! I mean, really, Alexis, you're going to teach that insolent Oompa Loompa a lesson in being grateful for the things that she has."

* * *

Patrick examined Sam. He had done superior work in surgery, and was certain that she would have regained feeling in her legs, but he knew that sometimes it took some time before the patient regained feeling in his or her legs.

--- "Sam, you have to calm down. This isn't the end! It takes time; you have to give your spinal cord some time to recognize the nerve impulses, and move that feeling down to your legs."

Sam was still reeling from the argument that she had had with her mother. She knew that she was wrong for mistreating Alexis and that she crossed many lines, but she could not manage to think of going back to the life she had for the past two weeks; she needed to have some form of independence and the ability to try and do things on her own. Sam felt that living with her mother again would only ruin their relationship because she could not tolerate being made to feel as though she were incapable of doing anything. While she appreciated Alexis' help, she surpassed the age of being tucked in at night and being dressed; it wasn't her fault that Alexis missed those days with her.

--- "Dr. Drake, can you just leave me alone please?"

As Patrick turned to leave, Kristina came back into the room. She had an appointment with Lainey, but she figured she'd be a few minutes late so that she could have a _chat_ with her big sister. Kristina closed the door behind Patrick.

--- "You know, Sam, you're a total BITCH!"

Sam looked at her sister in absolute shock.

--- "Who the hell do you think you're talking to Kristina?!"

Kristina walked right up to her sister, and put her finger in her face.

--- "I'm talking to you! How _dare _you talk to Mom like that!?"

Sam grabbed Kristina's finger.

--- "You need to get your finger out of my face! I may be stuck in this bed, but you're not about to start losing your mind with me!"

Kristina yanked her finger back.

--- "I can't believe you'd treat Mom the way you did! She's done _nothing _but try and help you, and you start lashing out at her because the surgery might not have worked! Sam, you _knew_ that was a possibility! Dr. Drake told you that! Mom wanted you to wait before you jumped to make such a quick decision of having the surgery, but NO, you wanted to have it done right away! Don't blame her because you feel like shit now!"

---"Kris—"

--- "NO! You're gonna let me finish! Did you know that Mom's back has been killing her? She's been lifting you here and there, and sure you let anyone that'll listen know how embarrassing it is for you, but GOD Sam, she's busting her ass!"

--- "KRIS—"

--- "LET ME FINISH, SAMANTHA!—"

--- "OK! You're not about to start calling me _Samantha _too! You're not Mom!"

Kristina rolled her eyes.

--- "Look, Sam, she's been through just as much shit as we've been through these past few weeks. When you were in the hospital, I heard her crying and breaking things in her room, that's how upset she was. When she brought you home, I went to her room one night, and she was knocked out in her bed with a heating pad on her back. She didn't even know that I was in there, and you _know_ how lightly she sleeps! She didn't even stir! Mom's exhausted Sam, and you're being a complete, utter, and SELFISH BITCH!"

Sam was getting more pissed off by the minute.

--- "Kristina, I'm gonna need you to stop calling me a bitch!"

--- "NO! We made a pact! We said that we wouldn't become victims because of that asshole, but here you are breaking it! You act as though you're the _only _person in the world who's ever been paralyzed! You act like you're the _only _person to have ever been put up for adoption and gotten really shitty parents! Sam I've got news for you; YOU'RE NOT! Stop throwing the fact that you were given up in Mom's face when you know DAMNED well that she didn't have a choice but to give you up! I mean, would you have really wanted to be raised as a Cassidine? Would you have wanted to be under _Helena's_clutches? Because I guarantee you that's what would've happened!"

--- "Alright, Kristina, I'm really tired of you yelling at me! I KNOW I was horrible to Mom! I REGRET what I said to her! But, I really can't go back to being treated like an infant by her! I'm 29 years old, and she acts as though I'm 29 _months_ old! I'm so appreciative of all of her help, she's been wonderful throughout all this, but she's killing me! Kristina, I'm not used to someone caring for me the way she has—"

Kristina rolled her eyes.

--- "Stop with the bullshit Sam! The pity train has long passed! Mom's been the one caring for you every time you've been hurt! When you got shot a few years ago, and I found out you were my sister, Mom took you in and cared for you. When the car hit you, AGAIN, Mom was the one taking care of you! What the hell difference does this make now?"

--- "Kristina, I don't need you to lecture me. I already told you that I know that I was wrong. Leave me alone. When Mom comes by later, I'll apologize, and everything will be fine. I'm just going to have to get a nurse to take care of me because I'm moving back to my apartment; I'm not coming home."

Kristina laughed out loud by Sam's transparency.

--- "Sam, do you even realize that you NEVER call your place home? Not one time have I ever heard you say, 'I'm going home,' or 'I wanna go home.' The ONLY place you refer to as home is the lake house. You don't want to go back to your apartment, you wanna come home, but you're just being STUBBORN. Do you know how many mothers would put up with your shit? Who would come to the hospital everyday to take care of their kids the way Mom has? I'm not sure if I know too many who would take care of you to the extent that Mom has. And you know that I'm right, which is why you really don't want to go back to your apartment."

Sam had never realized that she never called her apartment home, and only referred to the lake house as such. She spent an awful amount of time at her mother's house, and kept actually loved being there. But, that was not the point.

--- "Ok, what the hell difference does it make whether or not I call home, home, or my apartment, my apartment? The point is that I want to have my freedom. I need to be able to move about as I please, and being home isn't conducive to doing that when I have to stare at Mom all day. Now, like I said, I'll apologize to her when she gets here, and I'll even let her take care of me, but I'll be damned if I go back to being treated like a child. I'm going back to my apartment."

Kristina was not getting anywhere with Sam. She threw her hands up and got up to leave.

--- "You're ridiculous, Sam. We're going around in circles, and I'm getting annoyed. I'm late for my session with Lainey. _If _Mom does come by, try not to be a total ungrateful jackass."

* * *

--- "What do you suggest I do, Diane? I can't very well leave her sitting in the hospital!"

Diane gave Alexis a wink.

--- "Why can't you leave her sitting in the hospital? I thought she was an adult? Why does she need her Mommy?"

--- "She needs me to help her shower!"

Diane rolled her eyes.

--- "You _are_ aware that there are people at the hospital who are hired to take care of that, right? They get paid for that, Alexis! You were just being a good mother to your ingrate daughter by doing all that for her. Let the nurses' aides take care of her, and let her be subjected to that crappy hospital soap and shampoo for the week, and she'll certainly learn her lesson."

Alexis gave her a look of shock.

--- "I can't do that to her! That's horrible! She'll think I abandoned her!"

--- "Er, no… She'll quickly learn that she can't talk to you any way she feels! She needs to appreciate the fact that you're her mother, and that you deserve respect. She wants to be treated like a grown woman; well, here's your chance to give her what she wants! A grown woman doesn't need Mommy to come bathe her, and lotion her up, dress her _and_ change the dressing on her wound; that's what babies and children need. Let her sit in a hospital gown instead of a comfy pair of PJ's for the week. This, my dear, is called tough love."

Alexis shook her head in disbelief.

--- "Can I at least _visit _her?!"

--- "Why should you? She wants to be left alone! She doesn't want you around! Grant her her wish, Alexis! Be a good Mommy and spoil your little woman-child!"

* * *

Sam had been in the hospital for a week, and Alexis had not come by to see her once. She had no choice but to let the aides help her in the shower, and change the dressing on her wound. Because she was nasty to them, no aide wanted to help her twice, so Sam was helped by a different one each day. Sam was also pissed that they were using incredibly bad shampoo and soap on her that left her skin feeling dry, and her hair limp. She could not believe that considering her childhood, that she was beginning to feel like a snob because the hospital was not using the expensive shower wash and shampoo on her that she had grown accustomed to. Most of all, she could not believe that she actually missed her mother.

Alexis finally showed up when Sam was being discharged. She had been in a horrible mood the whole week because she felt guilty for not visiting her daughter, but she figured that Diane was probably right about teaching her a lesson in gratitude. Sam should have known that there were so many people whose mothers did not put up with the crap that she was giving her mother, so by not coming by each day to help her, Alexis was getting her point across.

--- "Hello Samantha."

--- "Hi Sam."

Kristina came with her mother as well, just to ensure that she did not murder her sister. Sam was sitting on the bed, feeling itchy, and disgusting, but she tried her best to look as though she were not depressed and missing her mother.

--- "Alexis. Kristina."

Alexis felt like she was stabbed in the heart at the sound of her daughter referring to her by name. She hated that just as much as Sam hated when she caller her Samantha.

Kristina had been to see Sam after each of her sessions with Lainey. She basically played spy for her mother. When Alexis came to pick her up in front of the hospital, Kristina filled her mother in on how Sam was.

**FLASHBACK**

_**--**__- "Mom, she's miserable! Why don't you go and see her! I know you miss her, and I know that you're just as miserable as she is seeing as you've been a real bi—"_

_Alexis glared at her daughter, daring her to continue her sentence._

_--- "Um, you've been a real [ahem] bitter crab this week."_

_Alexis rolled her eyes._

_--- "I'm not going to see her. She's got to learn that she's had it pretty damn good over the past few weeks, and she can't talk to me any way she wants. Now tell me, what does she look like? I told Epiphany to make sure they were using the most unpopular shampoo and shower wash on her!"_

_Kristina gasped._

_--- "I can't believe you did that! That's totally mean! She looks like crap! I mean, she's got brillo pad skin now, and her hair is dry. She's not happy, at all!"_

_Alexis laughed; Diane was the most brilliant person she ever knew._

_--- "Well, you can thank Diane for that idea. I'm sorry, but your sister is spoiled, and she needed a reality check. It isn't my fault that the surgery didn't work, and I'm not taking flack for it."_

_--- "Can you at least let me bring her some shampoo and shower was from home?"_

_--- "NO! What would be the point of all this if I allowed you to do that? Definitely not! Let her suffer."_

_Kristina rolled her eyes and looked out the window._

**End of Flashback**

--- "So, how have you been?"

Sam put her magazine down and stared at her mother.

--- "Do you care?"

Alexis sat down in the chair next to Sam.

--- "Of course I care, Sam! I know I haven't been by to see you, but I'm not going to allow you to treat me like crap when you feel like it. I refuse to be your punching bag! Now, I know that you don't want to come home, so I've hired a nurse to take care of you at your apartment."

That was the second part of Diane's brilliant plan. Diane figured that if Sam spent a week being taken care of by the hospital staff without her mother, the idea of going back to her apartment would not be something she looked forward to. Diane predicted that Sam would want to run home to Mommy after being subjected to Epiphany's _'Mother's United Front'_ treatment.

As predicted, Sam was not at all happy that Alexis would not only not visit her for the whole week, but would make her move back to her apartment, rather than going home.

--- "So first you abandoned me all week, but now you're kicking me out too!"

Alexis sighed.

--- "No, I'm not kicking you out, Samantha; I'm giving you exactly what you wanted. You made it crystal clear that you don't want my help—"

--- "I NEVER said I didn't want your help, _ALEXIS! _I said that I wanted you to stop treating me like a baby!"

--- "See, and that right there is another thing I'm tired of taking from you _SAMANTHA_; you try to hit me where it hurts by calling me by my first name whenever you don't get your way! Grow up! I've been taking a lot of crap from you over the past couple of weeks, and I haven't said anything. I've allowed you to be rude to me and to disrespect me—"

--- "The hell you have!"

--- "Should I have allowed you to, Samantha? I'm sorry, but I'm your mother, and I'm not about to have you shoot at the mouth at me over something I had nothing to do with in the first place!"

Kristina was getting annoyed over hearing this conversation for the twentieth time. She had been sitting on the bed listening to her mother and sister argue, but when it seemed to escalating to a repetitive loop, she threw herself back on the bed.

--- "OW! DAMN IT, Kristina! You're not two pounds, you're fucking heavy! I might be para—"

Sam put her hand to her mouth, while Kristina and Alexis looked at her in shock.


	27. Feelings

Note: I do not own the rights to any of these characters.

Ok, so I said Monday/ Tuesday, then I said Friday, but here I am posting again! This so much more interesting than writing a Memo. I'll work on it tonight and tomorrow, so you _really_ won't get the next chapter until some time this weekend. On a brighter note, my internship is done next week Thursday, so after that, I'll have a little less than a month of free time before I'm due back in hell, and therefore you know what that means! More writing! :o)

Keep the reviews coming! It seems as though when I wait to post, I get more responses. Shall I do that again?! (Insert evil laugh).

**Chapter 27**

When Kristina lied back onto Sam's legs, she did it from sheer exasperation at the circular argument her mother and sister were once again having. She in no way realized or intended to land on her sister's legs, nor expect to hear Sam exclaim pain at the force in which she flopped herself down.

--- "OW! DAMN IT, Kristina! You're not two pounds, you're fucking heavy! I might be para—"

Sam put her hand to her mouth, while Kristina and Alexis looked at her in utter shock.

--- "Oh my God, Sam!"

Alexis instinctively ran to the door and screamed for Patrick to get in the room immediately, while Kristina stood from the bed staring back and forth from Sam's stunned face to her suddenly feeling legs. Alexis pulled the sheet from Sam's legs as Kristina had done only a week earlier, and ran her fingers up her daughter's legs, pinching and poking her.

--- "Honey, can you feel this?"

Sam's eyes welled with tears with every touch; she could not believe that she once again had feeling in her once useless legs.

--- "Yes! Oh my God, I can feel my legs again! OW! Do you have to pinch that hard?"

Patrick came running into the room, and looked at the scene before him. Alexis moved aside so that he could examine her properly.

--- "Ok, while I'm sure your Mom already checked, I'm going to have to see this for myself."

Patrick poked Sam's foot, calf, thigh, and finally her hip; Sam felt every prick. Patrick was very happy about this development for his patient; he knew that she was miserable from being dependent on her mother's help, and was as a result lashing out at Alexis at every turn. He hoped that this turning point in her prognosis meant that she would reconcile with her mother.

--- "Sam, can you wiggle your toes for me?"

Sam smiled as she made the effort, but was disappointed when she realized that she had not really accomplished much from her hard efforts of wiggling her toes. Her face fell. Patrick noticed the change.

--- "Sam, don't get discouraged! I told you that it takes time for your spinal cord injury to completely heal. This is a big step! The surgery appears to have worked!"

--- "But why can't I move my legs! I mean, if I can feel them, why can't I move them?"

--- "You just had surgery, Sam. Your spinal cord is probably still swollen, and therefore while the swelling decreases, you are going to be able to feel more and more in your legs, and then you'll soon be able to completely move them like you normally did. What I can suggest right now is that you just sit tight, no pun, and let your back heal. You still have the stitches in, and they won't be coming out for another week—"

Sam interrupted.

--- "Another week!? Dr. Drake, they came out within a week and a half the last time, why so long this time?"

--- "Because you had the same wound opened twice in a short period of time. It therefore needs more time to heal from something like that. I know that this is hard for you to hear, and you hate doing this, but let Alexis help you like she's been helping, then once the stitches come out again, and your back continues to heal, lean on her to help you do things on your own, and perhaps walk around the house. I'm fairly certain that by the time the stitches come out, you'll be able to move your legs again."

Sam was excited by his prognosis.

--- "Will that mean that I won't need the wheelchair anymore?"

--- "Sam, you'll need to continue with physical therapy because you won't be able to just get up and walk again. Your legs have been out of commission, or rather will have been out of commission by that point for over a month, therefore they'll be weak; you're going to need to get your strength back."

--- "Ok. Thank you so much Dr. Drake. I don't even know what else to say to you! I'm so grateful that you suggested the surgery."

--- "You're welcome! Just lean on your mother; you've got a great support system in her."

Patrick walked out of the room.

Sam, Kristina, and Alexis were beyond ecstatic over this news. Kristina ran to her sister's side and gave her the biggest hug the petite teen could muster.

--- "Oh my goodness, Sam, this is beyond great news. I'm so happy for you!"

Alexis pulled Sam to her; the two hugged for a few moments.

--- "Baby, I'm so happy for you! Before you know it, you'll soon be able to have your life back."

Sam pulled away from Alexis' embrace.

--- "Don't worry, I won't be a bother to you anymore. As you wanted, I'm going back to my apartment, and a nurse can take care of me until my legs completely heal."

Alexis was stung by Sam's words. She wondered why Sam would ever think that she had been a bother to her.

--- "Sam, why would you ever think that you were a bother to me? I already told you that I love to take care of you!"

Sam rolled her eyes. She was pissed at Alexis.

--- "Yea, so much so that you didn't bother coming to see me this whole week, NOT EVEN ONCE!"

--- "I already told you why I wasn't here to visit; I wasn't going to allow you to disrespect me the way that you had again. I'm your mother, and I deserve to be treated with respect and if you aren't going to do that, that I shouldn't have to subject myself to being screamed at and _pushed_!"

--- "Please Mom, if you had bothered to show up to see me, instead of _abandoning _me _AGAIN_, you would've been apologized to! I was sorry for the way that I had treated you, and wanted to tell you so, but you didn't give a shit about me sitting here. You didn't care that I was embarrassed by these asshole aide's everyday! I can't believe that you did that to me! So, don't act like you care now!"

Alexis was thoroughly surprised and confused by Sam's attitude towards her.

--- "You know what, Samantha, I really don't know what you want. When I try to help you, you get mad at me. When I do as you ask, you're furious. Can you please tell me what it is you want me to do? If I didn't care for you, Sam, I would never have had any renovations done to the house, I would've just left you at the hospital, or put you in some rehabilitation center, instead of breaking my back catering to your every whim!"

--- "Yea, that's nice, Mom, catering to my every whim. AGAIN, I'm sorry I'm such a bother. You won't have to worry about me because I'll be back at my apartment. You don't even have to visit me if you don't want to; see if I care."

--- "I swear, I love you Samantha, but you're seriously testing my patience. Sometimes, you make me think that I'm raising two teenagers instead of the one. I'll admit, not visiting you was a bit harsh in regard to getting my point across, and in hindsight, I guess it did seem as though I was abandoning you because you were acting like a complete spoiled ungrateful brat, and that was wrong. I'm sorry."

Sam crossed her arms.

--- "Wow! That was such a heartfelt apology! I feel the floodgates opening up now, Mom, please pull me to your bosom, I think I'm gonna cry!"

Alexis let out a loud sigh.

--- "I love the sarcasm, Samantha. I feel like we take ten steps forward in our relationship, and then five steps backwards. Damn it, I'm getting tired of your tests for me, because I know that that's what they are. I really wish that you would just accept that I love you, and quit trying to push my buttons every chance that you get! I mean really, what else do I have to do to prove to you how much I love you and how truly sorry I am that I gave you up as a baby? Is this something that I'm going to have to deal with for the rest of my life?"

--- "And if it is?"

Kristina was fed up with this whole argument. Rather than flop herself back onto the bed as she did before, she jumped up from where she was seated.

--- "Why don't you two shut the hell up?"

Alexis was absolutely shocked. She got up to chastise her daughter,

--- "KRISTINA ADELA! Who do you think you're talking to!?"

but Kristina cut her off.

--- "We're supposed to be happy over the news that Sam's paralysis is only temporary, but you two keep arguing over the same shit! I'm tired of it!"

Alexis was tired of her daughters going off on her. She walked up to Kristina, wagging her finger.

--- "You need to lower your voice and lose the attitude and potty mouth!"

Sam jumped in.

--- "Yea, Krissy, she might make you stay in your room all day and not visit you. She might not even feed you, so I suggest you shape up."

Alexis glared at her eldest daughter. Before she could respond, Kristina cut them off again.

--- "I really need you two to stop acting like two morons and listen to each other for once! Mom, you were SO wrong for not visiting Sam, and you know it! But instead of telling her how sorry you were, you come up with this generic, bogus apology, and preface it by calling her an ingrate and spoiled. Yea, I'm sure that the normal person would've been happy with that kind of apology as well! For the D.A., Mom, you really can be dense. SHE'S NOT A CLIENT! SHE'S YOUR KID!"

--- "Kristina!"

--- "No, I'm not finished. You always tell us that you'll never abandon us, no matter what we do, but then because Sam was a _total bitch_ to you, you decide that you're not going to visit her! You _know _how much she depends on you, and how much she leans on you, why would you think that would be a good idea? How could you _not_ believe that she'd feel abandoned by you?!"

Sam tried to put her two cents in, but Kristina shuts her down.

--- "Sam, you really need to get it together. Mom's trying her damndest to figure out what you want, but you keep changing your mind! When she helps you in the shower, you're annoyed; when she doesn't help you, you're annoyed. What the hell do you want? You keep throwing up these mixed signals, and Mom tries to keep up with them, but nothing these days seems to please you. My God, you nearly cracked your head open trying to get into the tub by yourself! Who found you? MOM! Who made it a point to help you dress before the paramedics arrived so you wouldn't be embarrassed? MOM! Yet, you keep fucking complaining! She's done nothing but try and make you happy! GOD, to think that I was jealous of your relationship with Mom! My goodness, I never realized how dysfunctional it actually is; I changed my mind! Damn, Sam, why don't you tell us both what more she has to do to prove that she loves you because you've done _far _worse things than scream at her and she's still stood by you! UGH! You both are IDIOTS!"

Kristina grabbed her purse from the floor and stormed out of the room leaving Sam and Alexis to just stare at the slammed door.

Once down the hall, Kristina pulled her cell out and dialed.

--- "Get your ass down to General Hospital right NOW!"


	28. Missing

**Note**: I do not own the rights to any of these characters.

Such slave-drivers you are! :oP

Ok, so although the next chapter is outlined, I don't know if I'll be able to get the next chapter written out within the next few days as I've got _**a lot**_ going on right now. Fear not, however, I tend to type in the middle of the night, when I can't sleep anyway, you might have the next chapter sooner, but I'm not promising anything.

Keep Reviewing folks…

**Chapter 28**

Lucky drove to the hospital wondering why he had been summoned there, and why his presence was so imperative. He had a feeling that whatever the reason for his being there was, it had to do with Sam. He loved that woman profoundly, but her recklessness, in regard to seeking out dangerous situations, was too much for him to handle. He could not imagine spending his life, or even worse, raising children, with a woman who constantly ran into the line of fire. While he would have liked to have a long-term relationship with Sam, he refused to do so when thinking about her lifestyle and the implications they resulted.

When he found Sam dying on the gurney in that cold storage room of Mercy hospital, he felt as though his heart were literally breaking in half. Sam had awakened so much in him that no other woman, even Elizabeth, had ever done before. Her carefree attitude, her willingness to have her mother think the worst of her in order to spare her from Jerry's poison, and even her adventurousness captured his heart, but seeing her lying on that gurney cemented every reason why he could never be with her. It was that sense of adventure that landed her in her current predicament.

Lucky wondered if whether the fact that she was paralyzed might make things better for them as a couple, but he realized how selfish such a thought seemed since it meant that Sam could not do much but sit home and wait for him until she figured things out for her own. He decided that if it took Sam being paralyzed, and therefore unable to seek danger, a relationship between them could never survive because she would only be bitter towards him because as a cop, his life would be more thrilling than hers.

He then realized that even if her paralysis were temporary, Sam would probably want to run off once more and seek out the danger that she had missed while stuck in the chair. Sam would no doubt return to being a private investigator, a career he did not support. He knew that every time she left the house, he would wonder whether or not that would be the day she might be killed or critically injured. Although his concerns were quite hypocritical since he was a detective, Lucky believed that the difference was that he never sought danger and adventure, and perhaps, he was a teensy bit sexist in that he would prefer a wife or girlfriend who worked close to home, or stayed home with his children. The sense of adventure was not the kind of lifestyle he could be happy with. And for that reason, he knew that in the end, Sam could never be happy with him.

Lucky sighed as he pulled up to the hospital.

* * *

Alexis was unwilling to leave despite her daughter's nasty attitude toward her, so she sat in the chair in the corner of the room. She sat there waiting to see what Sam would do since she still needed to get ready to be discharged and none of the aides had come in to help her. Despite all this, her daughter was relentless in her dismissive attitude towards her; she did not even look in her direction. Alexis, at this point, knew Sam like the back of her hand, and she knew that her daughter needed and wanted her help; but Alexis refused to move from her seat until Sam asked her, _nicely and respectfully_.

Sam knew that she needed help, and she wanted only her mother's help, but she refused to back down from her position that Alexis had abandoned her all week. She refused to give her mother the satisfaction of knowing how much she had really missed having her around. She thought if Alexis had really wanted to be with her, she would have come by to see her; her mother would have never done such a thing to Molly or Kristina. Sam reached for her call button and buzzed for a nurse's aide.

--- "Honey, what do you need?"

Alexis obviously knew what her daughter needed, but she wanted to get Sam to actually speak to her. She missed having her daughter speak to her and rely on her. She wanted to have that bond with her again, but she knew that she messed up by completely listening to Diane's advice.

Sam glared at her and coldly responded.

--- "I need to take a shower and get dressed. Clearly I still need help, so I'm calling for it."

Despite wanting to get up and help her daughter, Alexis stayed in her seat. She could not give in to Sam's immature attitude. Alexis figured that if she jumped up to help her daughter, her actions might be misconstrued as an attempt to baby her. Therefore, she decided that waiting until Sam actually asked her for help would show her daughter that she was treating her more like an adult than a child.

--- "OK."

Sam fumed. She expected her mother to offer her assistance; her mother's nonchalance was infuriating. Alexis' 'OK' was an indication that she no longer cared about her welfare. Sam called her a 'bitch' under her breath, and pressed the call button, all the while glaring at her mother.

Alexis heard the insult, but decided not to bother scolding her daughter; she was not in the mood to argue with her again. She returned her daughter's glare.

Epiphany walked in the room to witness the staring contest between the two women. She knew that they had been fighting, and as a mother, she therefore sided with Alexis in the matter. She felt that Sam was acting like an incredibly spoiled brat who should have been grateful that her mother was doing all the things that she had been doing for her. Epiphany had had many patients who sat in their hospital rooms without a single visitor. She recalled young patients who, like Sam, lost their ability to walk, and sat by themselves in their rooms without a caring parent to come help them as Alexis had. Epiphany had had very few patients whose parents cared for their children as she had seen with Sam and Alexis. Alexis had been constant in caring for her daughter, and refused most help; she consistently worked to preserve her daughter's dignity, but this was the thanks that she was getting. Epiphany was more than happy to help Alexis teach Sam a lesson in gratitude.

--- "Hi Ms. Davis; how are you doing?"

Alexis stopped glaring at her daughter longer enough to smile at Epiphany. She liked her a lot, although like most people, she feared the strict nurse.

--- "Hi Epiphany. I'm fine, thank you. How are you doing?"

--- "Oh, I'm wonderful. I've had some ridiculously difficult patients to deal with, but I'm doing well, thanks."

Sam let out a loud sigh; she was not about to let these two have a conversation about her while she was sitting in the room.

--- "Are you going to chitchat with Alexis, or are you going to actually ask me what's wrong?"

Alexis was about to interject on Epiphany's behalf, but Epiphany defended herself from Sam's immature antics.

--- "Ms. McCall, from where I'm standing, you seem to be alive and well. Unless you're turning blue and unresponsive, I don't have to pay you any mind until I feel up to it. When I walk into a room, I make it my business to greet the persons there. I make no exceptions towards your _MOTHER_. Now, Ms. McCall; you rang?"

Sam rolled her eyes at Epiphany; she could not stand this nurse.

--- "I need help getting ready. Can you get an aide in here to help me, please?"

--- "No, I can't; all of the aides are currently occupied with other patients, particularly those whose parents aren't around to help them out. Why don't you have your mother help you?"

Once again, Sam let out a loud sigh.

--- "Epiphany, if I wanted Alexis to help me, I would've asked her for her help. But seeing as she couldn't bother visiting me for a week, she clearly was not up to it, so she's off the hook."

--- "Little girl, first please don't sass me; I'm old enough to be _your _mother. Secondly, you need to stop referring to this woman by her name and show her some respect; she is your mother and after all the crap that she's put up with in regard to your spoiled attitude, she deserves her title. I don't know why you seem to think that you can disrespect her as much as you do despite all the things that she's done for you. You seem to act as though she owes you all these things that she brings and uses on you: expensive shampoo, conditioner, shower wash, lotion, and clothes. Newsflash, she doesn't owe you anything; you're 29 years old. The reason she hasn't been around here all week was because she was fed up with your crappy attitude, and didn't feel the need to put up with it when she isn't the reason that you're in this position. You keep trying to let everyone know that you're a grown woman, but you've been sitting here moping around because you _know _how much you missed that woman. Why don't you stop acting like a four year old, and ask your mother for help."

--- "Look, I've already been lectured for the day, I don't need another one from you. Can you just get one of the aide's in here please so I can go back to my apartment—so I can go home."

Epiphany was fed up with Sam's attitude.

--- "Let me tell you something, Ms. McCall, I was trying to be nice before by telling you that the aide's were busy, but in actuality, _none_ of them want to come in here to help you. The ones currently on duty have already helped you before, and they refuse to do so again because you've been a nasty and rude bi-_person_ to them. I don't think they should be subjected to your attitude; they may be aides and get paid for doing these things, but they don't deserve to be treated like garbage because some spoiled brat patient is mad at her Mommy because she helped her too much. Now, I don't know what you plan on doing in regard to getting ready to be discharged, but I'll tell you this, you need to be out of here within the hour, and while I don't care what you're wearing when you do leave, you need to not be in that hospital gown."

Alexis feigned a sneeze when she could not help but let out a snort of laughter; Epiphany was one tough cookie who rightfully just put Sam in her place. Epiphany gave her a wink, wished her luck, and left the room.

Sam knew that she was at her mother's mercy, so she relented… _sarcastically_.

--- "_Mommy_, can you _please_ help me?"

Alexis did not appreciate Sam's sarcasm, but she got up and helped her out of the bed and into the wheelchair. She cupped Sam's face into her hands.

--- "You know, Samantha, you're seriously making things so much more difficult and awkward than necessary. I'm your mother, and all I want to do is help you the most I can, but I can't if you keep fighting me. But know this, sweetheart, despite everything you're trying to pull right now, I'm not going anywhere."

Sam sighed and accepted her mother's help without a word.

* * *

Diane walked into hospital room as Alexis was rolling a freshly showered and dressed Sam out of the bathroom. Alexis was shocked to see her there.

--- "Diane, what are you doing here?"

Diane rolled her eyes at her best friend.

--- "I was summoned here… practically _subpoenaed_."

Alexis looked baffled.

--- "By whom?!"

--- "By your grumpy little Christmas elf."

--- "Sam?"

Sam looked at her mother and Diane in annoyed shock.

--- "Excuse me?!"

Both women ignored her.

--- "Kristina."

--- "Kristina?!"

--- "Why would she call you here?"

Diane shrugged her shoulders and stuck out her bottom lip.

--- "Hell if I know!"

Just then, Kristina walked into the room.

--- "Kristina, why in the world did you call Diane here?"

--- "She needs to fix the mess that she caused!"

Both Diane and Alexis looked at Kristina as though she had three heads.

--- "I'm sorry, but what did _I _do?"

--- "You convinced my mother to do something ridiculously stupid, and now my family is falling apart. I need you to fix it, NOW."

--- "Whoa, whoa, whoa, I've done no such thing! Alexis, your children have seriously lost their minds."

Alexis shook her head.

--- "Kristina, Diane is not to blame here, and the family is _not_ falling apart."

Kristina pointed to Sam.

--- "Is Sam talking to you?"

Sam was getting annoyed.

--- "Am I invisible? You all realize that I am sitting in the room right?"

Once again, everyone ignored her.

--- "No, she's not talking to me, per se, but the family isn't falling apart because she's mad! And it certainly has nothing to do with Diane's advice for how to teach Sam a lesson."

--- "Yea, your mother is right! I simply told her that she needed to give the little pygmy—"

Both Kristina and Alexis interjected.

--- "HEY!"

Diane apologized.

--- "Sorry, too far? Okay, well, I told Alexis to give _Sam_ what she asked for: to be left alone, and to be treated like an adult. An adult who wants to be left alone, Kristina, does not need her mother to come take care of her; that doesn't make any sense. An adult, who wants to be treated as such, doesn't need her mother to help her in the bathroom, then bitch about it when she knows that she couldn't have done it by herself. So, if Sam wants to be upset because your mother gave her what she wanted, it isn't my fault."

Alexis nodded in agreement.

--- "I'll admit that I should've visited Sam this week, but like I said, I do not think that I should have to accept any form of disrespect from _any _of my children. So, while I know that I was wrong, she was also wrong in this. I want to help her, and I know that she doesn't want the nurse's help, but I won't accept her speaking and cursing at me because she's upset at her situation. That's not going to happen."

The women and Kristina continued to talk about Sam as though she were not in the room. Despite the pain and discomfort of doing so, Sam wheeled herself out into the hall, found an orderly and asked him to take her to be discharged. Her purse was already on the wheelchair, so she did not have to worry about money for a cab. She got into a cab, and headed home.

Alexis, Kristina, and Diane continued to argue, completely unaware that Sam had left the room.

* * *

Lucky arrived at Mercy hospital to find Agent Raynor waiting for him.

--- "Can you please tell me why you've summoned me here?"

--- "Hello, Detective Spencer. I've called you here because Kevin, the agent who helped Kristina escape from Jeff's clutches, died this morning."

--- "I'm sorry to hear that, Agent Raynor. But, with all do respect, can you please explain how this has anything to do with me? I mean, I already gave my statement, and I didn't witness the stabbing."

Agent Raynor did not know how to break this news, so he decided to just do so like pulling a band-aid from a wound.

--- "Jeff escaped from prison this morning."


	29. Search

Because someone's review had me dying laughing, and for fear that that person's foot doesn't break from the abuse to the door, here's the next chapter!

People, I WANT REVIEWS! They keep my inspired! You're breaking my heart. :o( When my heart gets broken, the evil mind comes out… cliff hangers that keep you waiting. (I'm going to Montreal next week; I might just have to leave you without an update until I get back August 3rd {evil laugh}). I want to know what you think of the story...

I do not own the rights to ANY of these characters

**Chapter 29**

--- "Look, I don't know why Dopey here is blaming me for Grumpy's attitude…"

Diane pointed in the direction of where Sam had previously been, but noticed that she was no longer there.

--- "Lex, where's Grumpy?"

Kristina and Alexis looked around the room; Sam was gone.

--- "SAMANTHA?!"

Alexis ran into the bathroom, but her daughter was not there. She looked down the hall; Sam was nowhere in site.

--- "How the hell did none of us notice that she was gone? How the hell did she even get out of here?!"

Kristina looked at her mother and rolled her eyes.

--- "Mom, I'm thinking that's what Sam has been trying to tell you; she's not an invalid as you seem to want to treat her. She may be paralyzed, but she's capable of moving around on her own."

Alexis pointed a finger at her daughter.

--- "Kristina, I'm not arguing with you right now; we need to find that pig-headed sister of yours."

Diane walked out of the room and stopped an orderly.

--- "Excuse me, did you happen to see the occupant of this room recently?"

--- "Yea, she asked me to wheel her to the nurses' station so that she could be discharged. I wheeled her outside and she got into a cab."

--- "Thank you."

Diane came back into the room and told Alexis and Kristina what she had been told.

--- "God bless America, Sam's going to be the death of me!"

Alexis quickly gathered Sam's things together, and she left the hospital followed by her middle daughter. The mother and daughter got into the car and headed toward Sam's apartment.

--- "I swear, your sister is probably _the_ most stubborn human being on this planet! My goodness, she doesn't think and she certainly doesn't listen!"

Kristina rolled her eyes at her mother and sighed.

--- "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, Mother."

--- "Look, lose the smart remarks because I'm really not in the mood for them. I know your sister isn't an invalid, but do remember what happened the first time she tried to prove a point? She fell and got a concussion! Now, she's just had surgery and should not be wheeling herself around! She can pop a stitch and her wound can get infected. Damn it, what the hell was she thinking! Her apartment isn't even equipped for her!"

--- "I thought you hired a nurse to take care of her?"

--- "I did, but she's not due to come until tomorrow. I was going to stay with her for the night even though she clearly hates me right now."

--- "She doesn't hate you; she's just tired of you treating her like she's incapable of doing anything for herself."

Alexis sighed; she knew her daughter was right.

When they pulled up to Sam's building, Alexis fumbled in her bag to find her set of keys for her daughter's apartment. They arrived on the third floor and unlocked the door.

--- "I swear Samantha, that was the DUMBEST thing that you've EVER done!"

Alexis called out as she opened her door expecting to see Sam sitting there; she was not. Kristina went into Sam's bedroom, but her sister was not there either. She went into the bathroom, but again, Sam was no where to be found.

--- "Mom, Sam's not here."

Alexis threw her hands up.

--- "Your sister is truly ridiculous."

* * *

Lucky was utterly shocked by Agent Raynor's declaration.

--- "Can you please explain to me how this sick murderous pedophile managed to escape from Federal prison?"

Agent Raynor was truly embarrassed about the situation. The federal agency consistently complained about the lax security in State prisons, yet they managed to, in a matter of weeks, lose the ringleader of the biggest child prostitution ring they had seen in that decade.

--- "Well, it appears that Jeff had help in escaping."

--- "What are you talking about? Who could have possibly helped this freak escape from prison?"

Agent Raynor was about to drop a bombshell on this PCPD detective that he was certain he was not authorized to do.

--- "We have reason to believe that Will, one of the undercover agents who helped us nab Jeff, may have actually now helped him escape."

Lucky was incredulous. This was unbelievable.

--- "How the hell? What? How does that make any sense! Will is a good guy!"

Agent Raynor knew this was not going to be easy, so he analogized the situation to that of a narcotics cop.

--- "Detective Spencer, I've looked at your police jacket. You had a problem with drugs, did you not?"

Lucky wanted to punch this arrogant prick in the face.

--- "Now what the fuck does my past have to do with anything?"

--- "Calm down, Det. Spencer, it was simply an observation. Well, in the same way a narc officer falls prey to the narcotics world and gets addicted to drugs, it seems that Will may have become enthused by the fast life and money of prostitution. We believe that he might have helped Jeff escape in exchange for a cut in whatever profits are made from starting the ring someplace else. Will knows that Jeff will never fully escape because we've got his picture circulating everywhere, but Jeff is going to want to strike a deal that will be lucrative to him if and when he has to go to prison."

This was a lot for Lucky to take in.

--- "What do you mean that Will will want a cut in the profits, and that Jeff will want to strike a deal?"

Agent Raynor had not patience for this city detective; he was used to working with people who picked up the details of a case quickly. Raynor was beginning to feel as though he was spoon-feeding the information to Lucky.

--- "Det. Spencer, this is Port Charles, a town riddled with organized crime and mob wars. Many of the mobs' leaders are currently in prison, or have previously been there, yet people are continuously killed and the "businesses," if that's what you want to call them, continue to flourish productively in their absence. How do you think that happens? Don't you think that messages are passed through prison walls to the outside?"

--- "That's good and well, but I'm sure he'd be able to do the same in federal prison."

Agent Raynor shook his head.

---"Federal prisons are remarkably more stringent than State prisons. Will know that. He also knows that Jeff controls every aspect of his very profitable prostitution business, and will be able to do so just as effectively inside the pen. Will, however knows that within a federal prison, the ability to run such a ring is inherently more difficult than doing so in state prison. Therefore we have reason to believe that he's convinced Jeff to fight to move to have his case moved to state court, so that he may be sent to state prison.

--- "But what does Jeff have to gain by continuing this business? He's clearly going to prison for a long time, and the money will be useless to him. It seems to me that all of this is pointless, and the only person standing to profit from anything would be Will."

Agent Raynor was not understanding why this seemed to be a difficult concept for Det. Spencer to grasp.

--- "Jeff doesn't plan on spending an extended period of time in prison, Det. Spencer! When he comes out, he's not going to want to be a pauper; he's going to want to continue to live the life that he had become accustomed."

Lucky could tell that Agent Raynor was getting annoyed with him, so he decided to not push the matter on Will and Jeff's psyches.

--- "So what do you want from me?"

--- "Kristina Corinthos-Davis is a key witness to the prosecution; she's clearly the victim here. Sam McCall is another key witness to the prosecution's case. Both of these witnesses happen to be the District Attorney's daughters."

--- "So?"

Agent Raynor let out a loud sigh.

--- "You cannot be this dense!"

--- "LOOK, you'll have to excuse me, but I'm still stuck on how a prisoner in a federal prison is able to easily manage to escape with the help of a single agent, the one being an undercover agent who was supposed to be helping get this freak off the streets. You're talking in circles right now, so I'm sorry if I'm not picking up on your cues as quickly as you would like."

Raynor knew that he was wrong for being so cavalier towards this detective, but time was of the essence; only God knew what Will and Jeff actually had up their sleeves.

--- "I apologize Det. Spencer. We think that Sam and Kristina are in danger of being used as leverage in Jeff's plans to attain a shorter prison sentence.—"

Lucky's mouth hung open in shock.

--- "Excuse me?! He killed a federal agent, stabbed a woman, kidnapped and raped a minor, and had a large child prostitution ring. Clearly the death penalty is being sought! How in the hell does he expect to get a shorter prison sentence when the shortest one he can expect is a life term?"

--- "Jeff knows that no matter what happens, he's more than likely going to prison. As a result, if that is what will inevitably happen, he's going to want to be in a prison with lowered security, and also have a shorter sentence. He's going to want to go someplace where he'll be able to run his organization; he's banking on going to state prison."

Lucky sighed.

--- "I got all that, Agent Raynor—"

Agent Raynor put his hand up to stop Lucky.

--- "Det. Spencer, you have to understand that federal prisons tend to be filled with the vilest criminals, who for whatever reason have an unspoken code amongst each other that pedophiles will be dealt with accordingly. Many times, when pedophiles such as Jeff are taken into Federal prison, they're raped and beaten, and sometimes killed. This man does not want these things happening to him. He wants to be protected! While he'll be in danger in state prison, he's hoping that the state will offer him better protection than the federal government. Now, I'm not going to go through every aspect and difference between the prison systems, but know that he wants to go to state prison, and he'll do whatever he can to get there."

--- "Ok."

--- "We think that he's therefore after Ms. McCall and Ms. Corinthos-Davis because he knows that he'll able to get DA Davis to crack and convince the judges to move his case to state court if he's got the DA's daughters hostage again. Det. Spencer, if you haven't noticed, this is all a game for this man."

Lucky was amazed at the arrogance and audacity of Jeff and Will.

--- "So what next?"

--- "Well, we're putting security detail on the women, but we want you to stick especially close to Ms. McCall being that she cannot run to safety, and he's already violently attacked her. Ms. McCall is going to need someone around her who can protect and get her to safety. We're doing everything we can possibly do at the moment to search for Will and Jeff; we will find them."

Lucky would take Sam to the other side of the earth if that would keep her safe from this lunatic.

--- "Of course."

* * *

When Sam got into the cab, she told the driver to take her home. She had planned to go back to her apartment, but as angry as she was at her mother, she could not see herself leaving the lake house that way. Kristina was right when she said that the lake house was home, and the apartment was simply someplace where she laid her head some nights. When Sam was not away on business, she was usually at home with Alexis and her sisters. She loved her family and did not want to be far from them, regardless of how crazy they drove her.

The cab driver pulled up to the lake house, and helped her onto her wheelchair. He was even so kind as to wheel her up to the house. Sam was in pain as her arms hurt and her back was aching; she was certain that she popped a stitch. She slowly wheeled herself to her room, trying to fight through the pain of each movement. When she finally got there, she realized how grateful she was for her mother's thoughtfulness of changing her bed; she was quickly able to get herself onto the platform bed. Within minutes, she was fast asleep on top of her sheets.

Alexis and Kristina walked into the house approximately 30 minutes later. They had checked Sam's office to see if she had been there, but Spinelli told them that she had not, they called Lucky, but got no response. Alexis could think of no place else that her hardheaded daughter could have possibly gone, but back home. Alexis knew that Sam would never admit that she was wrong, and that the lake house was where she belonged.

Upon entering the house, Alexis walked directly to Sam's room and found her asleep on the bed. All her anger and agitation towards her daughter dissipated at that sight. She walked to the other side of the bed and lied down beside Sam, and watched her sleep; it never seized to amaze her how similar Sam and Molly looked. In that moment, Sam looked like a little girl. Alexis' heart melted as she lied beside her daughter; she leaned over and gave her a kiss on the top of the head. Sam stirred in her sleep, and opened her eyes to see her mother beside her; she smiled at the woman she missed so much for the past week.

--- "Hi Mom."

Alexis smiled back at Sam.

--- "Hi honey."

Sam felt badly for everything that had transpired; she hated being upset with her mother. She knew that their fighting was predominantly her fault.

--- "I'm sorry."

Alexis rubbed Sam's cheek.

--- "Me too."

Sam winced at the pain that shot through her back as she tried to prop herself up more to look at her mother.

--- "I think I popped a stitch."

Sam bit her lip waiting for her mother to scold her, but it did not come. There was no need for another lecture or another fight; Alexis knew that Sam felt bad for disappearing from the hospital the way she had, and Alexis herself was sorry for making her daughter feel invisible and like an invalid, and more specifically, for practically abandoning her the way she had.

Alexis moved over on the bed and pulled the back of Sam's shirt up; sure enough, Sam had popped three stitches and was bleeding.

--- "You popped three actually. We'll go back to the hospital and get it fixed for you."

She got up and grabbed some tape and gauze; she gently recovered the wound.

As Alexis helped Sam back into the wheelchair, her cell began to ring. She got Sam in the chair and picked up.

--- "Hello… Hi Vi… wait, calm down… what happened?"


	30. Knowing

**Fair Warning: **I'm leaving for vacation next week. Therefore, you shouldn't expect a new chapter until after Aug 3rd. So, I'm going to try and get another chapter in before I go! If I don't, PLEASE don't kill me!

*** Um, I found this chapter to be a bit disturbing and difficult to write. If there is one time that I really want reviews it's on this chapter. You'll see what I mean… So PLEASE actually let me know what you think.***

I DO NOT own the rights to any of these characters.

**Chapter 30**

--- "Hello… Hi Vi… wait, calm down… what happened?"

As Alexis listened to what her nanny was telling her, her eyes grew large, she gasped, and dropped the phone to the floor.

--- "Oh my God!!!"

Sam had never seen her mother like that before; she knew something bad had happened. Since Viola was the one that was the cause of such a reaction, Sam was certain that something must have happened to Molly. She reached for the intercom.

--- "Kristina, get in her, right now! Mom, what happened?"

Alexis felt as though her world was once again crashing down around her; she could not believe what Viola had told her.

A few seconds later, Kristina ran into the room looking frazzled; she noticed the pale look in her mother's face.

--- "What's going on? Mom, are you alright? ... Sam?"

Sam felt her heart sink to the pit of her stomach at the thought that anything happened to her youngest sister.

--- "MOM! Answer us!! Did something happen to Molly?"

Alexis looked at her daughter, feeling the sobs rising up in her throat; she put her hand to her mouth and nodded her head. Sam and Kristina were terrified. Sam reached out and grabbed her mother's arm.

--- "What happened?!"

Alexis struggled to get the words out.

--- "She was taken! Molly's been kidnapped!"

Kristina's mouth fell open.

--- "WHAT?! We've got to call the cops!"

Sam reached in her pocket and grabbed her cell.

--- "Lucky, you need to get down here right away! My sister's been kidnapped! ...No, Molly! … WHAT? … What do you mean Jeff broke out! OH MY GOD! THAT SON OF A BITCH HAS MY SISTER!"

At the sound of her sister saying that Jeff escaped from prison, Kristina suddenly felt light headed. Just as she was about to collapse, Alexis grabbed a hold her. When she noticed that both of her daughters were on the verge of a meltdown, Alexis quickly gained her composure; she realized that there would be no saving Molly if her sisters _and _mother were completely out of it.

--- "Baby, come on! I can't have you passing out right now; not when Molly's been taken by that sick pedophile."

While she heard the words coming from her mother's mouth, Kristina could not decipher anything she said. Suddenly she felt her mother's hand connect sharply (more so than Alexis had intended) against her cheek; she was jolted back to consciousness. Sam was shocked.

--- "MOM! What the fuck! Couldn't you have come up with a better way of waking her than smacking her!"

Alexis was rubbing her daughter's soon be bruised cheek.

--- "I'm sorry honey; I thought that would get you back to us. You might have a bruise on your cheek."

Kristina stood up, and rubbed her cheek herself.

--- "It's okay. What are we going to do about Jeff?"

Alexis looked at her two daughters with a fire in her eyes.

--- "We're going to get that son of a bitch and make him pay for messing with us!"

* * *

Jeff walked up to the Orbit Science Camp where Molly Davis- Lansing spent her days. He was grateful to Kristina for having spoken so much about her young sister, and her daily activities. He was doubly grateful that he had seen Sam because picking out Molly amongst the children was simple; there was no doubt that the petite beauty running around the field was a Davis girl.

Jeff observed the girl for about an hour before he noticed her running off on her own to retrieve a ball that flew into the woods. At that moment, he decided to make his move. He followed her as she ran out of sight. He pulled out a tiny bottle of chloroform, and wet the rag he had in his pocket. He approached the young girl, grabbed her and covered her nose and mouth with the rag before she could scream out. When she passed out, he carried her unnoticed to the awaiting van.

When Will noticed Jeff coming with the young girl, he jumped from the driver's seat to the back to open the door for him. Once Jeff had the girl in the van, he tied and gagged her.

--- "Oh boy, little beauty, you're going to be my ticket out of this mess your bitch sisters got me into."

Will put the van in drive and drove off with the young girl and her captor.

* * *

Sam heard knocking at the door.

--- "Mom, that's probably Lucky."

Alexis practically ran out of the room, leaving Kristina to wheel Sam to the living room.

Alexis opened the door to find Lucky and Agent Raynor standing there waiting for her to let them inside.

--- "Agent Raynor, would you care to explain to me how the hell Jeff managed to escape and kidnap my daughter?"

--- "We think that he had help…"

Alexis was beyond flabbergasted.

--- "I'm sorry, but help? Help from whom?!"

--- "Will."

Kristina jumped into the conversation.

--- "Will? Will the guy who helped save me? I don't believe that. He's a good guy! He got me out of that mess, why the hell would he help Jeff escape and kidnap Molly in the process? That doesn't make any sense!"

Alexis agreed with her daughter.

--- "Yea, that really doesn't make any sense. Why wouldn't Will have grabbed Kristina at the moment he had the chance! He worked at Mercy, he could've snuck out with her through a different exit than where everyone had been waiting."

Agent Raynor shook his head.

--- "DA Davis, you're not using your head here! Will doesn't want to turn anyone into a prostitute, he wants access to the ring and the money that comes along with it. Taking Kristina at that time would not have accomplished that goal in the least bit; it would've been counterproductive to try and take her at that time because he wouldn't have accomplished anything by doing so."

--- "This is absolutely insane. This is truly ridiculous! You feds are constantly complaining about the lack of security in our state prisons, but now you get this bastard, and he manages to escape! Can you please tell me how this makes any sense? How the hell could one person have helped this guy out of the prison? It seems to me that you've clearly got a whole set of Federal workers who are leading criminal lives! I swear to you Agent Raynor, if my daughter is raped, stabbed, or murdered, hell if a hair is touched on her head at all, you will have to answer to me! I don't like to use my family name, but trust me, the Cassidines are a vengeful people. We will retaliate any wrong doing done to my child as a result of your irresponsibility."

Agent Raynor walked right up to Alexis.

--- "Is that a threat DA Davis? Are you truly threatening a federal agent?"

Alexis stepped closer to Raynor's face; close enough so that he could feel her breath hitting his face as she spoke.

--- "No, Agent Raynor, I'm not threatening you at all; I'm promising you this."

Sam felt the tension in the room escalate to newer heights, and decided to intervene.

--- "All this fighting, threats and promises are not getting us anywhere! We've got to find my sister before this guy does something traumatizing to her! He's already raped Kristina, and obviously almost killed me, we don't need my little sister getting harmed in any other way because of him."

Alexis eased up and stepped away from the glare she had on Agent Raynor.

--- "My daughter's right; what are you idiots doing to find my kid?"

Agent Raynor cleared his throat.

--- "Well, right now, we're looking at the security tapes around the camp to see where he came from and in what direction they were headed when they kidnapped your daughter."

Sam tapped Kristina, and signaled to her to wheel her out of the room so that she could make a phone call.

Alexis was not impressed with the work the FBI was doing to find her daughter. She noticed from the corner of her eye that Kristina was wheeling Sam out of the room; she immediately knew that once again they would be the ones to have to save one of her girls. She needed to get Agent Raynor out of her house so that she, her daughter, Spinelli and Lucky could get to work.

--- "Alright, please call me when you get any new developments. Thank you for coming by."

Agent Raynor eyed Alexis suspiciously, but he decided to let his suspicions rest since it was obvious that the kidnapping of her youngest daughter frazzled Alexis.

--- "I'm sorry Ms. Davis, but I cannot in good conscience leave. We need to set up station here because undoubtedly Jeff will contact you."

Alexis was annoyed at this man's presence in her home. She let out a loud sigh.

--- "Fine, you may stay, but stay out of my way. My daughter Sam needs to have enough room to move around. And you know what, while you're here, have a doctor sent over to fix the a few stitches that popped from my daughter's back. We'll be in her room down there."

* * *

Molly began to awaken from the effects of the chloroform. Her hands were tied behind her back, and a gag was around her mouth; she felt a terror inside her that she had never felt before. She began to scream as much as the gag would allow. Jeff roughly grabbed her face.

--- "I suggest you not scream Belle."

Molly's eyes grew wide at the touch of this man. Jeff smiled.

--- "Ah, you recognize that name? Belle? I thought you would! Beauty and the Beast! I guess you can say that you're the beauty, while I'm the beast. Now, I'm going to take the gag from your mouth, but if you scream, it will go back on. Am I understood? You're gonna get on this phone here and call your Mommy and tell her that unless she helps me, you're gonna get the Krisina treatment. Ok?"

Jeff took the gag off of Molly's mouth.

--- "W-what's the Kr-Kristina treatment?"

Jeff grinned and chuckled at the innocent little girl.

--- "Oh honey, your Mommy will know. As long as she cooperates, you won't have to worry your pretty little head."

Jeff tapped his finger on the tip of Molly's nose. He reached for his phone and dialed Alexis' number (he had retrieved it from Kristina's cell just in case he ever needed it).

--- "Hi… Ms. Davis?"

* * *

While the FBI set up phone taps and trackers, Alexis and Kristina sat with Sam in her bedroom as she was getting the popped stitches mended.

After the doctor left with strict orders for Sam to not try any strenuous activity, including wheeling herself around, Alexis paced the room.

--- "Oh my God, I don't know if I can do this! I swear to God, if that man touches my baby, I will cut his balls off and feed them to him. I'm not even going to kill him, I want him to go to prison and be somebody's bitch!"

Kristina remained silent, as she sat with her knees to her on Sam's bed. Sam, who's back was now slightly numb from getting the stitches, and was therefore lying on her bed, reached over and gave her sister's foot a squeeze. She then looked at her mother.

--- "Mom, will you sit down, you're making me dizzy! Look, I've got Spinelli coming over right now. Because the FBI is invading the living room, he's coming through the back door. We're going to set up everything in here, and track down Molly on our own. Lucky's going to help."

Alexis stopped pacing and crawled onto the bed and sat between her girls. She gave Kristina a kiss on the cheek, and Sam a kiss on the top of the head.

--- "I don't know what I'ld do if I ever lost either of you girls, but I can't help but feel like this is my fault."

Sam was uncomfortable lying on her stomach while trying to look up at her mother, but she didn't want to bother her by asking for help in sitting up, especially since she had just gotten the stitches fixed.

--- "How in the world could this possibly be your fault?"

Alexis looked at her eldest daughter, the woman who Molly would undoubtedly resemble as an adult. She wanted to stare at Sam for as long as she could just to imagine what Molly might look like, and perhaps might be like when she got older. She prayed that she would be able to hold her daughter again, so that she could actually see Molly grow up to be as beautiful as her sisters instead of having this images of her youngest child dead in some ditch someplace.

--- "I'm allowing Molly to be raised predominantly by Viola! In the past few weeks, I'm sure that I've spent about an hour a day with her, while the other time has been Molly at camp, then Molly having dinner with Viola, then Molly going to bed and being tucked in by Viola, and then perhaps, _perhaps_, she'd see me for a few minutes when I'd go into her room and give her a kiss after coming home from the office. The only time that I've spent with her in the past few weeks has been in the morning for breakfast. Other than that, she's on her own, and that makes me feel horrible. I'm a horrible mother!"

Sam grabbed her mother's hand.

--- "You are NOT a horrible mother! Are you kidding me? The reason you haven't really spent that much time with Mol is because you've been catering to my and Krissy's every whim! We've monopolized your time and that's not your fault—"

Alexis pulled her hand away.

--- "That's good and well, honey, but the point of the matter is that I don't have two kids, I have three. I should've found a way to include Molly."

Sam sighed.

--- "Well how were you supposed to know that this guy would break out of jail? Wasn't it you that constantly told me about foreseeability and whether or not someone can be held liable for an occurrence? You not spending time with Molly over the past few weeks was not a foreseeable cause of her being kidnapped by this asshole! No one could've predicted that he would break out… and even if that were foreseeable, who would've ever thought that he'd go after Mol?"

Before Alexis could respond, there was a knock at the door. Alexis got up from the bed, pulled the back of her daughter's shirt down and helped her sit up on the bed. Kristina remained in her spot on the bed, almost motionless, but for the occasional wiping of the stray tears that escaped from her eyes.

--- "Come in."

Spinelli and Lucky walked into the room.

--- "Did anyone see you?"

--- "No, we were quite inconspicuous for this covert operation Fair Samantha!"

Spinelli and Lucky took a seat on the couch facing Sam's bed. Lucky informed the women as to what Agent Raynor had told him about Jeff and why he kidnapped Molly.

--- "So, I'm thinking that this is more like a hostage situation rather than a kidnapping. If Agent Raynor is correct about Jeff's motives, you can probably expect him to contact you pretty soon with his demands."

Spinelli interjected.

--- "In which case, I've brought these headsets for you which will allow us to follow the conversation between the Pimp of Darkness and the Goddess Mother."

--- "Thank you Spinelli. Do you think he'll hurt my sister?"

Lucky shook his head.

--- "I seriously doubt it. He's trying to get Alexis to help him; it really wouldn't make any sense for him to hurt her, or _rape _her because then Alexis would clearly want his head on a platter."

Alexis let out a sigh of relief.

--- "While I pray that you're right, Lucky, Molly must be TERRIFIED right now!"

Spinelli chimed in.

--- "Well, Goddess Mother, it is for such reason that I, the Jackal, will most effectively and efficiently procure the Fair Clone's location!"

As if by way of Providence, Alexis' phone rang. She squeezed Sam's knee, perhaps too tightly, as Sam _happily _winced in pain.

--- "HELLO? MOLLY!?"

Jeff Chuckled again.

--- "No sweetheart, this isn't your little Molly! This would, however, be your middle daughter's boyfriend. How are your doing Ms. Davis?"

Spinelli put a pair of headsets on, threw a pair to Sam, and handed another to Lucky. He quickly typed in a few codes, and before they knew it, they were able to listen to the conversation Alexis was having.

--- "Where's my daughter?"

--- "That's not very friendly ma'am! Why don't you answer my question!? How _are _you?"

Alexis cleared her throat; this guy's desire to play games with her was increasingly agitating. Sam felt her mother's anger rising, so she took her mother's hand causing Alexis to turn to look at her; Sam mouthed '_Stay calm._'

--- "Will it make you happy to know that I'm terrified? Because I am!"

Kristina moved from the bed and rocked herself in the corner; she felt as though everything that had happened a few weeks ago was recurring, except now it was affecting her very young sister. Alexis got up and sat in the corner with her daughter. She pulled her to her, and wrapped her arms around her. Kristina buried her head in her mother's chest like a scared little girl.

--- "Are you terrified enough to care to strike a deal with me?"

Alexis continued to rock Kristina back and forth, imagining that she was holding Molly in her arms.

--- "I'll help you, only if you allow me to speak with my daughter."

--- "I was hoping you would ask me that! Your daughter is quite anxious to speak to you, actually! One second…"

Within a few seconds, Alexis heard her daughter on the other line.

--- "Mommy?"

Alexis suppressed her body's desire to sob.

--- "Hi baby! Are you ok?"

Molly sniffled on the other line. Alexis wanted so badly to reach through the phone and wipe away her daughter's tears.

--- "The man told me to tell you that if you don't help him, I'm going to get the Kristina treatment."

There was a collective gasp in the room from those listening to the conversation. Alexis felt as though she had been punched in the stomach; she prayed that she'd be able to do what she expected him to ask of her. Kristina felt her mother's heart racing as she continued to speak on the phone.

--- "Baby, I will do everything in my power to get you away from that bad man; I promise you, he will not touch you!"

Jeff chuckled into the phone.

--- "I'm so glad that she didn't hear any of that Ms. Davis, no sense in breaking your promise to your precious daughter. My goodness, you certainly create some beautiful girls! This little one looks just like your eldest! Please tell her that I'm sorry about her current and unfortunate predicament. I suppose she won't be running around in things that don't concern her anymore? Are you taking good care of her Ms. Davis?"

Alexis could sense the anger radiating from Sam.

--- "My daughter is fine, thank you. What do you want!?"

--- "Well, how about that lovely Kristina? She's another beauty. She's got the perfect little figure, and a beautiful body. Sam on the other hand, I didn't get to explore her as much as I would've liked. Have you noticed how perfect her breasts are? They're absolutely amazing. Did you notice the slight scar on her left breast? I wonder what that's from. She's also got the cutest tattoo on her right hipbone. Do you know what that tattoo is, Ms. Davis?"

Alexis knew what he was talking about, but she was absolutely disgusted by this man's almost vulgar candor; he did not seem to care that everything he said was an admission of guilt.

--- "Yes."

Jeff smiled to himself. He knew that he had to make this woman squirm so terribly over the fact that he knew so much about her daughters' bodies that she would do everything and anything in her power to make sure that her youngest daughter did not suffer the same fate. He had no intention of actually harming the young child, not from a pang of conscious, but simply because he had no interest in young children. He preferred developed teenagers. He knew, however, that regardless of everything he was going to jail, but he certainly was going to make damned sure that whatever time he had to spend in prison was going to be at the very least safe and somewhat comfortable. He was willing to kill for this comfort.

--- "Well, Ms. Davis, what is the tattoo that your precious daughter has?"

Alexis was very uncomfortable with this conversation; she realized that this man was trying his best to terrify her. Unfortunately, his plan was succeeding. She looked over at her daughter sitting on the bed, who was returning the look; Sam gave her a nod. Alexis cleared her throat before speaking.

--- "It's a tattoo of a star."

--- "It's a very pretty, yet simple tattoo, wouldn't you agree? It reminds me of this little one here. I swear, you create these _lovely _petite girls; that happens to be my favorite type of girl. It seems, Ms. Davis, that I've already had a taste of the middle one, a feel of your eldest one, and what shall I do with this little one?"

Alexis was incensed; she could not bear to listen to this asshole talk about her girls the way that he was.

--- "LISTEN YOU SON OF A BITCH! WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT? YOU'VE DONE ENOUGH DAMAGE TO THIS FAMILY; I SWEAR TO YOU, YOU BETTER NOT LAY A HAND ON MY DAUGHTER!"

Spinelli was repulsed by this conversation; he worked furiously to procure a location. Finally he found one. He tapped Lucky and pointed his finger to his computer screen. Lucky nodded, took his headset off, and ran into the living room to let the FBI know what he'd just discovered.

--- "Feisty! Ms. Davis, you're turning me on! Okay, so here's what I want. I want you to get on the phone and get state jurisdiction on my case. I don't want this case in Federal court. Now, I don't really care what you have to do to get me in state court, I don't care how many dicks you have to suck, but know this, I will keep this pretty fox, whom I've renamed Belle, by the way, until you get my case moved."

--- "Is that all you want?"

Jeff laughed into the phone once more. Agent Raynor ran into the room, and retrieved the headset that Lucky had been listening to.

--- "Don't be foolish, of course that's not all that I want. I want you to get me a deal; I don't want to go to trial. I will do 20 years max."

Agent Raynor stood up and ran to Alexis. He knelt down in front of her, and gave her the thumbs up.

--- "Ok, I'll do that."

--- "Ms. Davis, please don't take me for a fool. I'm well aware that you might love to just say yes you'll do something, and then turn around and rescind he deal we've made. I want this all in writing. I want this to be signed by a judge and made official. I expect that the judge will accept and _sign _the deal and send me to a minimum to moderate security penitentiary. I don't want murderers and thieves to surround me."

--- "I will do whatever you ask of me… just please do not hurt my daughter!"

--- "Ms. Davis, you don't make the orders and requests here, I do. You've got an hour to make this happen."

With that, he hung up.


	31. Removal

Here's the next installment. Thanks for the well wishes for my vacation!

For one reviewer who questioned why I changed the title of some of the chapters, I did so because I wanted to keep the single word titles that I've been using; I thought that they better summarized the premise and theme of each chapter. I also did it because I was bored, and brainstorming for this chapter as well.

Note: some of the law in this chapter might be total BS because I've yet to take Criminal Procedure.

**Chapter Thirty-One**

Jessica Linfield came from a small town of Ohio. Her father was consistently out of town for business, so she spent a lot of time at the bars and clubs. She was known amongst her classmates as a wild party girl, and could easily be found at local nightclubs, sporting various fake IDs; neither the bouncers nor the bartenders at these clubs ever questioned her because she gave the best tips.

One Friday evening in 2007, when she was about 14, perhaps on the cusp of being 15 years old, Jessica snuck out of the house and went to Phoenix, her favorite club, with a few older friends. As usual, she drank and did some recreational drugs. While standing at the bar, waiting for the next round of drinks, a guy came up to her.

--- "Hi sweetheart, did anyone ever tell you that you were by far the most stunning person in this club?"

Jessica blushed. She loved the attention that she often received from guys at these clubs; in particular, she adored it when older guys, like this one, complimented her.

--- "Well, thank you."

--- "So what's your name, precious?"

--- "Jessica."

The guy gave her a handsome smile and extended his hand.

--- "I'm Leon."

Jessica returned the smile; she found him to be incredibly hot.

--- "Hi Leon."

The two spoke all night about the most random of topics. Jessica seemed to have forgotten that she had come to the club with friends; she left instead with this new guy whom she had just met.

Over the next two weeks, she and Leon continued to meet; making _love_ anywhere they saw fit. One night, after making wild passion, Leon professed his love for Jessica, and asked her to run away with him; Jessica was thrilled. Without a second's thought, she agreed to leave Ohio with this handsome stranger

Jessica and Leon left Ohio a few days later, never to be seen or heard from again.

* * *

Alexis hung up the phone with Jeff, and went into action. She tried to get up from the floor, but a clearly terrified Kristina was still holding onto her for dear life. Alexis leaned down and gave her daughter a kiss on the top of the head.

--- "Baby, I need to get up and help Molly. I know you're scared, so why don't you go lie down next to Sam."

Kristina let go of her mother and ran onto the bed and clung to her sister. Alexis got up and took a second to look at the tiny teen that was now clearly once again retreating into herself. She was not about to allow this to happen to her daughter; Alexis needed to get a handle of this situation.

--- "Lucky, Spinelli, Agent Raynor, can you please give me a minute with my daughters?"

Agent Raynor opened his mouth to protest for want of time, but Lucky grabbed his shoulder, and shook his head. The three men walked out of the room.

Alexis grabbed Sam's laptop off of her desk and handed it to her.

--- "Honey, I need you to stay here."

--- "Mom—"

Alexis put her hand up and interrupted her daughter's protest.

--- "Samantha, I'm sorry, but I need you here to take care of your sister. If he calls while I'm getting this court order, and you're with me, I don't want him to take you if he sees you; you'll be defenseless."

Sam looked down at her legs, forgetting that she was still paralyzed. She knew her mother was right. Alexis noticed the saddened look on her daughter's face. She lifted Sam's chin so that she could look directly into her daughter's eyes.

--- "Honey, it's ok. I actually need you to stay here with Spinelli and get as much information together about this Will character; there's clearly something we're missing about him!"

Alexis sat on the edge of the bed beside Sam, and pulled her into a hug; she whispered into her ear,

--- "Sweetheart, I'm so sorry for what that son of a bitch did to you. I swear to you that he will not get away with this."

Sam nodded; she had never felt more violated, even when raped, than at the thought that she was lying on the gurney dying, and that pig took the time to look at her body. Alexis took her daughter's face in her hands and wiped her falling tears.

--- "I love you, honey."

--- "I love you too, Mom."

She gave Sam a kiss on the forehead.

Alexis walked to the other side of the bed and sat beside Kristina, who was lying in the fetal position; her face was hidden at her sister's side. She passed her hand up and down her middle daughter's arm; Kristina did not stir. Alexis worriedly looked up at Sam.

--- "Krissy, I know you're scared, but I don't want you to close yourself off from us. We love you and we won't let anything happen to you. Will you be strong for me?"

Kristina nodded in compliance.

--- "Good. If Sammy needs anything, or needs your help moving around, I want you to help her because you know how she is; she won't willingly accept help from anyone else but me, but I think she'll make an exception for you. Right Sam?"

**Alexis rubbed her eldest daughter's knee; it was more of an order rather than a question. She knew that if Sam needed to go into the bathroom, for example, instead of allowing Kristina to help her, she would rather try and move on her own. But after nearly cracking her head open, and popping a few stitches this morning, Alexis prayed that Sam would not, for once in her life, stubborn and allow help from her sister.**

**Sam rolled her eyes and nodded her head.**

--- "Good. I'll be back soon."

Alexis kissed the back of her daughter's head.

--- "I love you, baby. I'll bring Molly home."

Kristina turned her head away from her sister so that she could look at her mother; her eyes were puffy from her silent tears.

--- "I love you too, Mommy."

She smiled and gave her daughter another kiss.

--- "I'm so happy to hear your voice, baby."

Alexis got off the bed and let the men back in. Within a few seconds, she, Agent Raynor, and Lucky were out of the house.

* * *

Jeff and Molly sat at a table in the room. Molly had tears running down her face as she worried about what might happen to her. Jeff looked at her and reached over to wipe her fallen tears; Molly pulled her face away.

--- "Don't touch me!"

--- "Hey precious, don't worry! As long as your mother does as I asked, then you'll be just fine! Now, how about a game of Go-Fish?"

Molly shook her head and turned away from him.

--- "Aww, you're going to make me very sad, precious. Why don't you want to play with me?"

--- "I don't talk to strangers."

Jeff smirked.

--- "Well, precious, you're failing miserably at that one; you're talking to me now!"

Molly glared at him in true Cassidine fashion.

--- "I don't like you. You're a bad person who's hurting my family."

--- "How do you figure that I'm hurting your family?"

--- "You took me and then you told me Mommy that you'd hurt me if she didn't do what you wanted. And then you started talking about Kristina and Sam… How do you know about Sam's scar and tattoo?"

--- "Your sister is a friend of mine –"

Molly shook her head.

--- "You're a liar! Sammy is NOT your friend!"

Jeff took a sip of the beer he had been nursing while talking to this annoying child. He thought to himself that this was the reason he never liked to be around young kids; they asked too many questions.

--- "Precious, you need to calm down –"

Molly slammed her hands on the table.

--- "STOP CALLING ME PRECIOUS! I DON'T KNOW YOU AND YOU AREN'T MY SISTERS' FRIEND! YOU LOOKED AT MY SISTER BAD! YOU'RE A LIAR, AND I HOPE YOU DIE!"

Molly tried to run from the table, but she forgot that her legs were tied to the chair; she fell and hit her knee hard on the floor. The youngest Davis began to sob, wishing that her mother were there to comfort her.

Jeff walked over to the little girl, and tried to lift her back up and onto the chair, but she pushed him off of her.

--- "LEAVE ME ALONE! I DON'T WANT YOUR HELP! YOU'RE A BAD MAN, AND I HATE YOU!"

Despite her struggles, Jeff forcefully grabbed Molly and put her back onto the chair. He then retied her hands and gagged her once more.

--- "See, let me explain something to you, precious. I can tell that you're a very smart girl, but sometimes being too smart can get you into a whole lot of trouble. I suggest you keep that in mind if you ever want to see that bitch mother, and those slut and crippled sisters of yours."

Molly could do nothing more than to let the already flowing tears continue to roll down her tiny cheeks.

Will sat in the corner of the room, silently observing everything that had been going on.

* * *

Although Spinelli had found a location from where the call had been coming through, when Raynor's men went ready to storm the area, the warehouse was abandoned. It did not appear that anyone had ever been there. Upon searching the place, it appeared that Jeff had used a remote device to make his phone untraceable. Therefore, Alexis and Agent Raynor arrived at the District Courthouse, and knocked on Judge Powell's chamber door; Alexis had no intention of leaving his chambers until she got what she was after.

--- "Agent Raynor, D.A. Davis, how may I help you?"

Alexis quickly explained the situation to the judge, informing him that they had less than an hour to remove Jeff's case to state court so that if convicted, he will be imprisoned in a state facility. The Judge looked at Alexis as though she had three heads.

--- "DA Davis, let me get this straight, and Agent Raynor, you might want to jump in as well if I'm mistaken. This gentleman, and I use this word quite loosely, is a known pimp who has many child prostitution rings around the Midwest. Now he attempted to start another one in this area, using your daughter, Ms. Davis, as one of his prostitutes. Am I correct so far? Then, when you were attempting to rescue the young girl, he managed to get his hands on your eldest daughter, and stabbed her in the back, along with perhaps molesting her; she is, as a result, paralyzed from the waist down. Now, somehow this fellow managed to escape from a federal prison, and has kidnapped your youngest daughter?"

Alexis and Agent Raynor nodded their heads.

--- "I understand that it certainly seems like a crazy soap opera, but unfortunately, this is the reality of the situation, and I need to save my youngest daughter, Molly, soon before he does something worse to her!"

The Judge felt bad about what this district attorney had to deal with, but he could not go against protocol and procedure to remove the case to state court. Jeff's actions stretched far beyond the realm of affecting a single particular state, but had influence over the laws throughout the country; this was precisely the reason behind why the case became a federal matter. There was no way that the Judge, in good conscience, could remove this case to state court when dealing with a series of prostitution rings that crossed numerous state lines.

--- "DA Davis, I am sincerely empathetic to your dilemma, but I cannot do what you've requested. There are way too many implications in regard to national legislation at issue here! This cannot become a state issue because one child has now been kidnapped—"

Alexis was completely enraged by this obviously conservative right wing Judge's sorry excuse for allowing her youngest child to stay in a pedophile's hands. She nearly jumped over his desk, but Agent Raynor held her back.

--- "Ms. Davis, don't do this; going to jail is not going to help your daughter."

--- "It would be quite wise of you to listen to Agent Raynor, DA Davis."

Alexis regained her composure, and calmly spoke to the judge.

--- "Judge Powell, seeing as I do not see any pictures of children on your desk, I'm going to have to assume that you do not have any.—"

--- "DA Davis, I suggest you—"

Alexis cut him off.

--- "No, Judge, you will listen to what I have to say. Do you know how humiliating it must be for my daughter Samantha to find out that not only after being stabbed in the back by that freak, that he had the nerve to look at her naked body while she was lying on a gurney in a room filled with corpses bleeding to death? How about being 29 years old and having to rely on your mother to help bathe you every day? Or move you on and off the toilet? That's what my daughter has gone through for the past few weeks since she was stabbed. She no longer has any privacy, and it's embarrassing to her! Although she knows that she's my baby, and I would do anything for her, and she's therefore become comfortable with me helping her, I still sense my daughter's loss of dignity every time I'm with her in the bathroom. I don't think you fully grasp how she must feel now that she can no longer do on her own the things that we take for granted."

--- "DA Davis, I understand all this—"

--- "No, I really don't think that you understand any of this. Sam had to hear over the phone this pig describing intimate areas of her body as though they were meals on menu; he knew about tattoos and scars that she has that he wouldn't have known about or seen unless he looked at her. How about this, Judge, my 15 year old daughter was raped by this asshole, not once, but TWICE! He tied her legs down to stirrups, tied her arms above her head, and gagged her; then he raped my daughter! I'm sorry, did I forget to mention that before doing all this, he drugged her? Then, he had the nerve to put makeup on her to prepare her to be used as a sex toy! Kristina didn't even remember being raped until a week later when she started having flashbacks. She told me how dirty she felt, to the point that we found her standing in a scalding hot shower trying to get his stench and feeling of him off of her! Do you know what that does to the mind of a young girl? Do you even know how heartbreaking that is? My 15 year old nearly had a mental breakdown! She's now in therapy to deal with all of this."

--- "Look, I'm sorry—"

Alexis was one again become enraged.

--- "YOU WILL LET ME FINISH! You can't be sorry until you understand the extent to which this scumbag has affected us! In the past few weeks, my family has shed more tears than the Goddamn Niagara Falls! I'm tired of this! I'm tired of rocking my children to sleep at night, and to hear them crying themselves to sleep when I'm not there immediately to take their concerns away. This has to stop! Now, not only has he emotionally and physically scarred my two oldest children, he's kidnapped my eight year old! For God's sake, Judge Powell, my baby is eight! He put her on the phone and had her tell me that if I don't do as he asks, he will give my baby the 'Kristina treatment.' My God, this man is willing to rape an 8 year old child in order to get his way! I am not leaving this office until you sign off on having this case moved, because I will be DAMNED if I let him inflict more pain on my family, let alone on my baby. Judge Powell, I will be even MORE DAMNED if I allow you to use my child as a sacrificial lamb in order for you to implement and further national legislation!"

Before Judge Powell could respond, Agent Raynor jumped in with a compromise.

--- "I think that we can perhaps come up with a better solution for everything here. Now, I think that it will be to everyone's favor if we had you, Judge, sign off on the removal of the case to state court—"

The Judge looked confused.

--- "Did I not just tell you that I cannot and will not do this?"

Agent Raynor shook his head.

--- "Judge this does not have to be an actual removal. You can make it appear to be as such, but only for us to rescue DA Davis' daughter. Afterwards, we can continue the case under federal law."

The Judge was baffled.

--- "Do you expect me to create a false document?"

Agent Raynor and Alexis responded at the same time.

--- "Yes."

Alexis added,

--- "It seems to me that Jeff is quite ignorant of procedure seeing as he expects us to remove the case without consent of either defense or prosecution. Therefore, you creating this document would not be binding anyway because this is completely ex parte."

The Judge nodded in agreement. He had wanted to help save the young child from the moment they explained the situation to him, but he was known for his stringent and conservative interpretation of the law. However, seeing as the district attorney made a very good point about the actual legality of this deal, his mind was put at ease.

--- "Alright, you've got a deal!"

The Judge quickly signed off on the supposed removal order of the case to state court.

Alexis and Agent Raynor were ecstatic and drove back to the Lake house to await instructions on how to proceed.

* * *

Spinelli was having difficulty tracking down Jeff's location through the cell phone he called on; it appeared that he might have used an untraceable prepaid cell.

--- "The Jackal is most distressed at his failed efforts of procuring a location of the Dastardly Pimp."

Sam looked up from her computer.

--- "That's not really the biggest problem at this moment, because he's going to have to call Mom to get the information about the removal. So, I don't think that his location at this point is of the utmost importance. What I want to know is why the hell would this Will character help this jackass escape."

--- "Well, per the Faithful Agent of the Government, the Dubious Good Samaritan's full name is William Rifton."

--- "Ok, so let's see what we can track down about this William Rifton. One would assume that he doesn't have a criminal past because he wouldn't have been recruited into the FBI, so there's got to be something up with him that the FBI somehow managed to miss."

Spinelli looked at Kristina, who was still lying beside her sister, shielding her face in Sam's side.

--- "Rebellious Hellion?"

Sam looked down at her sister. She knew that Kristina was not going to respond to anyone but her or their mother.

--- "Spinelli, will you go to the bathroom please?"

--- "The Jackal does not need to use the facilities, Fair Samantha."

Sam gave Spinelli a look that indicated she wanted him to get the hell out of the room.

When he was safely locked in her bathroom with his laptop, Sam focused her attention on her sister.

--- "Krissy, you know you're going to suffocate if you hide yourself anymore into my side. It's okay, baby, it's just you and me; Spinelli's in the bathroom."

Kristina slowly unshielded her face from her sister's side, but stayed nonetheless close to her. It was as though she were afraid that if she moved too far away from Sam that she might also be taken by Jeff; Sam and Alexis were her protectors. Sam brushed Kristina's hair from her face, and noted her puffy eyes.

--- "Baby, you heard what Mom said; she's going to get Molly back. Okay?"

Kristina whispered so low that Sam had to strain to hear her.

--- "What if he comes to get me again? Or he comes after you?"

Sam could not tell her that she would not allow him to touch her because they both knew that she was as defenseless as Molly at this point. She answered the only way she knew how.

--- "Krissy, Mom's not going to let that happen. Plus, this house is surrounded by FBI agents and PCPD officers; there's no way that freak will be able to get in here and get you."

Kristina seemed pacified by that thought. Sam figured that since Kristina was now speaking again, she might be able to get some information from her.

--- "Baby, do you remember if Jeff ever told you about places where he liked to stay? Like, did you and he ever go anywhere else, other than my apartment to-"

Sam stopped speaking when she saw her sister begin to bury her head once more in her side. Sam had not noticed that her mother was standing in the room.

--- "Mom! What happened?"

Alexis smiled and held up the removal order.

--- "We got it! Mind you it isn't an official one because neither attorney was present, but it doesn't appear that that asshole knows anything about protocol and procedure for removal; so this should work."

Sam shook her head in amazement.

--- "So, we're basically going to tell him that the case will be brought in state court, but really it's staying right where it is?"

--- "Exactly."

Alexis moved to sit on Kristina's side of the bed, and pulled the teen to her. Kristina willingly left her sister's side and went back to her mother. Alexis rocked her back and forth like a little baby, and soothingly spoke to her.

--- "Sweetheart, I need you to tell us if you and Jeff ever went someplace else, other than Sam's and his apartment."

Kristina looked over at Sam, then up to her mother.

--- "He's got an apartment on the other side of town."

Alexis kissed the top of her daughter's head. Sam typed some information into her computer, and then asked her another question.

--- "Ok, baby, that's good. Is there anything that you can remember that maybe Will might've told you when he rescued you, or anything that Jeff might've said to you that you never told us or the cops?"

Kristina thought about this question for a second before answering. Suddenly she recalled something.

--- "When we were going up the elevator, just before I ran to Mommy, Will told me not to worry, he was going to take care of Jeff."


	32. Delusions

I'm back! I wrote some of this during the VERY LONG drive back, so I hope that it's good. While away, I outlined the next two chapters, but I won't be posting them for a couple of days; I want to know what you think about this one. (I also want you to suffer a bit).

So I'll be back in hell (law school) in 16 very short days, so between getting assignments done and actually purchasing my casebooks and supplements, I will be working to wrap up this story in that time. I don't know how many more chapters there'll be, but nonetheless, it will be finished before I start classes again because I don't want you to wait forever for updates.

Thanks for your support and as usual, please please please REVIEW.

**CHAPTER 32**

Eric Linfield was exceptionally close to his family. When his sister Jessica disappeared, he was the glue that kept his family together. He gave them hope that he would find her. He also vowed that if need be, he would avenge her death.

Eric worked tirelessly to get a lead on his sister's whereabouts. He spoke with her friends who had spoken to her last, along with people at the clubs who had seen her the last night she had been there. He searched through her computer for any clues as to where she might have gone. Eric refused to believe that his 15 year old sister would disappear without so much of a clue or trace as to where she could possibly be; the whole situation leading to her disappearance was incredibly difficult for him to swallow.

One day, when continuing his investigation, he stumbled upon a piece of information about a slowly building child prostitution ring in the Midwest. With the help of his buddies in the law enforcement agency he worked for, he found out that a man going by the name of Leon, was going to clubs and scoping out young teenage girls. When he convinced the young girls that he loved them, he would run off with them, and force them into prostitution. For whatever reason, neither the cops nor the FBI were ever able to find this guy; even more peculiar was their inability to find the girls he had forced into this deplorable lifestyle. Leon seemed to always be one step ahead of the crowd.

A few months after discovering this disturbing information about this Leon guy, a couple of officers appeared at his family's door; Jessica's body had been found in a garbage field outside of Bloomington, Indiana. The officers informed the Linfield family that the young girl had been beaten to death. From the looks of her body, it appeared as though she put up a good fight, and was perhaps resistant to the lifestyle inflicted on her as she had several bruises along her vaginal wall, and needle marks up her arms. The medical examiner believed that she was consistently drugged and raped. The officers hypothesized that Leon himself either beat Jessica for her repeated resistance, or an angry client, who was left unsatisfied by her lack of performance, did the deed himself.

With the confirmation of his sister's death, Eric picked up the pieces to his broken family, and set off to avenge Jessica's senseless murder.

* * *

Alexis continued to play with a sleeping Kristina's hair as she waited for Jeff to contact her with information as to how she might go about getting Molly back. Sam was getting frustrated as she continued to look up information on Will and found that everything about him checked out accurately. She slammed her laptop shut and threw her head back against the headboard.

--- "SHIT!"

The noise shook Alexis from the space that she had been in while playing with Kristina's hair. She looked over to her eldest daughter, and noticed the look of exasperation on her face; it was the same look that she was trying not to display. She took Sam's hand into her own.

--- "Samantha, honey, calm down."

Sam took a deep sigh, and looked over at her mother. She knew that Alexis was just as terrified with the situation as she was, but for the sake of Kristina, more so than for her own, she was putting on a brave face. She noticed that her sister had once again fallen asleep, so she kept her voice low.

--- "Mom, Molly's with this freak who's just proved that he's capable of anything. I know you're scared too, so you don't have to pretend for my benefit, because I'm scared shitless right now. I can't find a thing on this guy Will that the FBI doesn't already have in their files. I mean, what's his motive in helping this freak? Why would he tell Krissy that he would take care of him? What does that even mean?!"

Before she could respond, Alexis felt her phone vibrating in her pocket, causing Kristina to stir in her sleep. Sam, Lucky, Spinelli, and Agent Raynor, put their headsets on to listen to the instructions.

--- "Hello?"

--- " Hi Sweetheart! Did you miss me?"

Alexis felt the disdain rising in her; Sam noticed her mother's discomfort and put her hand on her shoulder.

--- "Where's my daughter?"

--- "Not so fast honey! Let's just have a chit-chat before we get into the formalities."

It took everything in her to stop herself from screaming. She wanted so badly to reach into the phone and strangle this man, but that obviously was not possible. Instead, she used her free hand to squeeze the neck of a teddy bear Sam had on her bed.

--- "What do you want?"

Jeff enjoyed taunting this woman as it made her need to help him greater; she could never be too sure as to what he would do to her brat.

--- "How's that sexy daughter of yours doing?"

When Alexis did not respond, Jeff continued.

--- "I'm sorry, did I confuse you as to which one I was talking about? I meant your eldest. She sure is a spitfire! I've never encountered someone like her before; it's quite thrilling really! It still amazes me how she ran into the hospital unarmed, and wanted so badly to come after me for the sake of her infectious slut of a little sister."

Sam grabbed the poor bear from Alexis' hands and inflicted her own sense of torture onto it while she listened to the scumbag talking.

--- "Hey, you know what? Can I actually talk to that lovely specimen of yours? I want to know how she got some of those scars on her body."

Alexis was on red alert; she spoke with a force and tone that surprised Sam and everyone else in the room. While she had spent years suppressing and shunning the Cassidine blood that ran through her veins, this man brought it out of her full force.

--- "You will NOT speak to my daughter! You've done enough damage to my family, and I can only hope that you justly pay at some point for what you've done. I don't know who the hell you think you are or how you were raised that would make you think that it was okay to sleep with underage girls, or to stab others and then take advantage of your victim by looking at their naked bodies. I'm not letting you talk to either of my girls, and I swear on everything that I believe in and love that if you touch my baby that you will regret the day that you were born, as well as long for the day that you die. I did what you asked of me; I got your case moved to state court. I want my daughter back, NOW."

Jeff was almost taken aback by the sudden demeanor of this once terrified mother on the phone. He was turned on by her change in attitude.

--- "Wow, you're incredibly sexy when you're angry. Are you as hot as those daughters of yours? Clearly they must have gotten their looks from you. Anyway, back to real talk. Now here's how we're going to do this; you're going to meet me on the docks, by yourself. –"

Alexis looked at Sam, then to Lucky.

--- "I'm _not _meeting you by myself."

Jeff sighed.

--- "Well, if you want to see this precious little girl of yours, I suggest that you do as I ask."

Alexis wanted to vomit; every time this guy spoke, her skin crawled. She felt her blood boil at the thought that he had his hands on her girls, and now could be doing God knows what to Molly.

--- "Now, again, you will meet me at the docks, by yourself. I have no allusions that you won't have the cops following you, so they may do so only if they remain on Harbor View Road---"

Alexis interrupted him.

--- "That's three blocks away!"

Jeff chuckled.

--- "My how happy I am that you know your way around this boring ass town! I know that I'll be arrested, but I don't want to run the risk of one of your cronies shooting me on sight! I want a smooth transition for my short stay at my new digs in the PC moderate security prison facility."

Alexis was baffled by what he just stated; this man was clearly deluded.

--- "Short stay?"

Jeff laughed.

--- "Did you really think I was going to spend the rest of my life behind bars? I don't think so honey. Why would I go through all this to have to spend an eternity afraid to drop the soap? If you want that annoying brat of yours back, I suggest you get my case settled out of court. I am not planning on spending more than 15 years in prison; in fact I want a chance of parole in 10 years for good behavior. Like I said, I also want to be in a moderate security facility, away from all those other disgusting murderers and pedophiles."

Sam looked at her mother; the two women exchanged a look of disgust.

--- "Um, I don't know how I'm supposed to swing this because I had to step down as the DA for this case because of the obvious conflict of interest involved in this situation—"

For the first time in the conversation, Jeff lost his cool and smooth talk, and became overtly threatening.

--- "LOOK, I ALREADY TOLD YOU THAT I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM INTRODUCING THIS LITTLE GIRL HERE TO THE 'KRISTINA TREATMENT.' Now, please don't act as though you don't have any clout in the matter. Use your power as the DA to get this case settled, and my demands met. I'll see you in an hour; be sure to wear something sexy."

Jeff hung up the phone, leaving Alexis perturbed. Agent Raynor grabbed Lucky and pulled him from the room so that they could discuss how to proceed next; this situation had long ago blurred lines of being a federal or state matter.

Sam looked at her sleeping sister, then to her mother.

--- "Mom, how in the world are you going to pull _this _one off? It's one thing to get the judge to sign off on something that's non-binding, but how in the world are you going to get his attorney to agree to have this thing be a fake settlement?"

Alexis sighed, and leaned her head against the headboard; she really didn't know what she was going to do about this situation.

---- "Honey, I don't even know. All I know is that I have to get your sister back before he does anything to her."

--- "But you don't know if this is a trap!"

Alexis covered her face with her hands, then looked Sam in the eyes.

--- "That's the chance I'm going to have to take isn't it?"

* * *

Jeff hung up the phone with Alexis and turned to look at Molly who was still gagged and tied to her chair. It was obvious that her knees still hurt from the hard fall she took, but he was not concerned.

--- "Hey, looks like your mommy might be getting you out of here soon!"

Molly was beyond ecstatic at the prospect of getting away from this guy, but she also knew that he was not to be trusted; she took his announcement with a grain of salt.

Jeff moved to Will, who was sitting quietly in the corner.

--- "Hey dude, here's how we're going to proceed: I can't risk them seeing this little jewel before I know that my case has been settled, so you're going to take this brat in the van and bring her to Pier 25's warehouse. I want you to leave her there, and you can make your escape. Here's the list of the contact information for all my people; they'll get you set up to make some real dough off these girls."

Will nodded his head.

--- "Alright, that's great man. I'm really sorry about all that confusion before with Kristina at the hospital. You know, I couldn't have my cover blown."

Jeff patted Will on the back.

--- "It's alright! You've done nothing but prove to me that you're loyal. Shit, if it weren't for you, I'd still be in that damn jail with those freaks."

--- "Yea, I couldn't let you stay in there. Do you think this plan is going to work?"

--- "Without a doubt! This is foolproof; they'll never get me."

* * *

The time was passing very quickly. Alexis whispered into a still sleeping Kristina's ear,

--- "Baby, it's going to be alright. I'll be fine. I'll see you soon. I love you."

She then helped Sam out of the bed and into her wheelchair. She took her into the bathroom with her; she wanted to have a private conversation with her, but Kristina needed to have them nearby so she left the bathroom door open. Alexis sat on the edge of the tub facing her eldest daughter; she took Sam's hands into her own.

--- "Honey, while I'm sure that everything is going to be fine, I just want you to know that I love you so very much. I'm so glad that we've become as close as we have; you're the best daughter and friend that a mother could ever ask for. Despite our fights, you are still my rock, and I love you for that; I'm so proud of you. If anything should happen to me, I want you to take care of your sisters, okay? And please don't tell me that you can't because you're paralyzed. Baby, you've already proved to me, loud and clear, that nothing will stop you from doing what you want to do. You've already got the feelings back in your legs, and in a short amount of time, you'll be able to walk again. So, I know that you'll be able to take care of your sisters. Can you promise me that?"

Sam, unable to respond because of the sobs wanting to escape from her mouth, simply nodded her head in compliance. Alexis leaned forward and wiped her daughter's tears and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

--- "That's my girl."

Alexis stepped out of the room for 30 seconds and came back with a long flat box; she handed it to Sam.

--- "I want you to hold on to this for me."

Sam looked at the box and opened it. Inside she saw three ruby and diamond bracelets. Sam put her hand to her mouth.

--- "These are beautiful."

Alexis wiped her own tears as she thought about the previous owners of these prized jewels.

--- "When I was a kid, my mom, your grandmother, had the most beautiful two necklaces. On the night she was murdered, she gave one to me, and one to Kristina, your aunt. Then after Kristina died, I got them both. When I found out that you were mine, I decided to turn the necklaces into identical bracelets for each of my girls. If something happens to me, I want you to take one and give the other two to your sisters."

Sam did not know what to say. She could not tell her mother that nothing would happen, because after what happened to her at Jeff's hands, anything was possible. She was touched by her mother's gesture; she simply nodded her head and gave her a hug.

--- "I love you honey."

--- "I love you too, Mom."

* * *

Alexis walked onto the dock alone with the removal papers in her hands. She was terrified of what might happen, but she knew that doing nothing was not an option as that meant that Jeff could do anything to Molly. She made sure the PCPD and the FBI adhered to Jeff's demands for them to remain on Harbor View; she didn't want to give Jeff any reason to harm her daughter.

Jeff had been watching Alexis from a distance for some time. Will had called him to let him know that the area was surrounded at Harbor View and the surrounding streets. Jeff knew he had to act fast.

He walked up to Alexis, dressed in a PCPD uniform, procured for him by Will, who had conked out an officer and stolen his clothing. Alexis turned around to see the officer, not recognizing that it was actually Jeff.

--- "What the hell are you doing here!? Are you trying to get my daughter hurt? He said no cops!"

Jeff chuckled.

--- "I'm really glad that you listened to me, Sweetheart."

Jeff pulled out his knife, the same one he used to stab Sam with, and stabbed Alexis in the gut. She looked at him in disbelief. She fell to her knees.

--- "Did you really think I was going to go to _any _prison?"

Jeff threw her into the water, and walked off in his disguise.


	33. Appearances

Ok, so who has whiplash from the last chapter? Did you like that twist? LOL. I was soooo going to keep you sitting around waiting for at least three days for this chapter, but some folks got to my better nature.

**CHAPTER 33 **

Kristina jolted up from her sleep. She looked around the room; she was by herself. She let out a blood-curdling scream causing Lucky, Agent Raynor, and Spinelli to run into the room. Kristina was so hysterical that she did not notice Sam and Alexis come into the room from the bathroom.

Alexis ran to her daughter's side trying to calm her down.

--- "Baby, what's the matter? Oh my God, you scared the crap out of us!"

Kristina jumped back when she realized that her mother was beside her.

--- "You're, you're dead!"

Alexis was taken aback by Kristina's response.

--- "Baby, what do you mean, I'm dead? Honey, I'm here! I'm very much alive!"

Kristina could not speak. She looked around at everyone in the room. Sam noticed her sister getting agitated by the amount of people staring at her.

--- "Can you all get out of here please? I think my sister needs to talk to my Mom and I privately."

The three men left the women alone to talk with the young teen. Alexis sat on the bed next to Kristina, but avoided touching her since Kristina seemed to be terrified by her touch.

Against her mother's and the doctor's wishes, Sam wheeled herself to the side of the bed where Kristina was huddled. She hated the emotional breakdowns her sister seemed to be prone to.

--- "Krissy, what do you mean that Mom is dead? Did you have a bad dream? Honey, Mom is still with us; baby touch her."

Kristina was hesitant in moving towards her mother, so Sam reached over grabbed and held her mother's hand.

--- "See, Krissy, Mom's alive. I can touch her, and feel her. Baby, nothing happened to her!"

Kristina seemed reassured by her sister's words.

--- "I guess I was dreaming then?"

Sam and Alexis nodded their heads. Alexis reached forward and cupped Kristina's face into her hands.

--- "See, baby, I'm right here with you. Can you tell us what you dreamt?"

Kristina's eyes began to well up with tears as she recalled the nightmare she had just had.

--- "You were waiting on the docks by yourself like Jeff told you—"

Alexis interrupted her daughter.

--- "Baby, how'd you know that Jeff wanted me to meet him by myself? You were asleep."

Kristina shook her head.

--- "I don't know. I guess I was in and out of consciousness? But he saw you waiting for him, and he approached you dressed like a cop. You saw him and yelled at him because you thought that he was a cop who was going to ruin us getting Molly back. He came up to you and said that you were good to cooperate, or something like that, and then he stabbed you in the stomach and threw you into the water."

Kristina began to cry at the thought that her mother had died. Alexis pulled her daughter to her. Kristina took in her mother's scent, trying her best not to forget it, lest something were to truly happen to her.

--- "Baby, I'm going to promise you that I will not allow that bastard to kill me. We Davis women are too strong to allow something like that to happen. Do you hear me?"

Kristina buried her head in her mother's chest, praying that what Alexis had said was the truth.

--- "Yes."

--- "Okay, so baby, I need you to be brave now because I have to go meet him now."

Kristina held onto her mother for dear life now.

--- "Please don't go!"

--- "Honey, I have to go; this may be the only way we can get Molly back. But, like I said, I promise you that I will come back to you."

Kristina had no choice but to let go of her mother and allow her to go and bring Molly back home to them. Alexis gave her a kiss on the forehead, and reassured her once again that she was coming home. She walked to the door and requested Agent Raynor's help.

--- "DA Davis, we have to get going."

--- "I'm well aware Agent Raynor, but I needed to reassure my daughter that everything will be fine. Now, I want a bullet proof vest."

Agent Raynor laughed.

--- "That's funny, I have one already waiting to be placed on you."

--- "Good, may I have it please?"

--- "Sure, do you need help putting it on?"

--- "Um, no. I think that I'm quite capable of getting it on myself."

He handed her the vest.

--- "Ok. It goes underneath your clothing."

Alexis rolled her eyes and grabbed the vest from him. She closed the door behind her. She walked over to Kristina and showed her the vest.

--- "Okay, so I'm going to put this on. If that idiot tries to do anything to me, I'll be protected."

Kristina was not entirely convinced of her mother's safety, but she felt better at the added precaution that she was taking.

Alexis pulled her shirt off, and put the vest on, and tightened it across her body. She then put her shirt back on. Sam sighed at the thought that her mother had to put a bulletproof vest on to protect herself from this freak.

--- "Mom, just be careful, okay?"

Alexis kissed her eldest daughter on the cheek, and made the same promise to her as she had just made to Kristina.

--- "Sam, I swear to you that I will be back. I will not let this guy destroy our family. Now, please do as I asked, okay?"

Sam held the box with the three bracelets close to her heart.

--- "I swear to you, Mom, I will."

Alexis smiled at her daughters.

--- "Good. I love you both so much. I'll be back."

* * *

Will and Jeff loaded Molly into the back of the van. The poor child was terrified because she knows that her mother is going to be meeting with this guy. She prayed that her mother would be fine. She prayed that she would be able to run into her mother's arms and be held by her again.

Jeff sat in the back with Molly staring at her.

--- "You really are a beautiful girl. You look just like that sister of yours. I used to love watching her on Everyday Heroes. I used to watch the show for hours, play, rewind, and replay, the show just to see that sexy sister of yours. How do you like having her for a sister? You get to spend a lot of time with her, right? She takes you out, right? Swimming? I'm sure she looks great in a bikini. I mean, when I saw Kristina, I thought she was a pretty girl, she really reminded me of somebody, but I couldn't pinpoint who it was, and then Samantha McCall walked into the room on us, and then I saw who it was! Wow."

Molly, being a young child, was absolutely confused by Jeff. She did not understand how a man who claimed to be so enamored by her sister, could hurt her the way he had. Molly had listened to the conversations that Jeff had had with her mother, she knew that he was a bad man. Even though her mother and sisters tried to shield her from things, she knew enough to know that Jeff did bad things to Kristina, and that he was the one that hurt Sam. Although her family only told her that Sam had had an accident, and that was why she became paralyzed, Molly had seen Sam's wound; it reminded her of the way the people in scary movies looked after they were stabbed.

When Jeff spoke about Sam's tattoo or of her scars, Molly knew that he had done something bad. Molly was an innocent kid, and while she never knocked before entering her mother's or sisters' rooms or bathrooms, in her mind boys were not supposed to see girls undressed.

Jeff noticed that Molly wanted to say something, so he removed the gag.

--- "What did you want to say precious?"

--- "If you liked my sister, you wouldn't have hurt her, and you wouldn't have looked at her when she wasn't dressed."

Jeff laughed at the child's innocence.

--- "You've seen your sisters, and I'm sure your mother, undressed, so does that mean you don't like them?"

--- "I love them! I never hurt them! And besides, we're all girls and we're family, so it's okay. Boys and girls aren't supposed to see each other without their clothes."

--- "And who told you that boys and girls aren't supposed to see each other naked?"

--- "My mommy and sisters."

Jeff laughed again, and shook his head.

--- "Well, honey, they're lying to you because they've all certainly had sleepovers with many boys and allowed them to see them naked. How do you think you came to be?"

Molly did not know whether or not to believe him. Her mother had never brought guys to the house, so she was sure that Jeff was not telling her the truth. She knew that Sam, on the other hand, had been Lucky's girlfriend, and they kissed all the time. She remembered one weird time, however, when she, Kristina, and Alexis went by Sam's place to bring over dinner, and Sam and Alexis did not want to answer her questions.

_**Flashback**_

_Because she had a key to the apartment, Alexis never bothered ringing the bell whenever she went by her daughter's apartment. Sam hated that; she told her mother that one day she might not like what she walks in if she uses her key when she decides to drop by unannounced. _

_One day, Alexis had called her daughter and let her know that she was coming by with the girls, and they would be bringing dinner. Sam agreed, but quickly lost track of time when Lucky stopped by. The couple got caught in the thralls of their passion and made love on the couch in her living room. Suddenly, Sam heard her a key going into the lock; the door was being unlocked. Sam and Lucky ran into the bedroom._

_Alexis walked into the apartment, and noticed her daughter's and Lucky's clothes on the floor. Before she could say anything, Molly was running into the apartment, towards Sam's bedroom._

_--- "MOLLY WAIT!" _

_Alexis was not ready to explain the birds and the bees to her then seven year old. _

_Kristina saw the look on her mother's face, and also saw the clothes all over the floor. She dropped the dinner bags on the table and went into the kitchen to gather the place settings; she did not want to be in the room when her mother went ballistic on her sister. _

_--- "SAMMY! We're here for dinner!"_

_Sam grabbed a robe and put it on. Unfortunately for Lucky, he did not have any clothes at her house, and the ones that he did have were strewn all over the living room floor. She locked her bedroom door before Molly could get to it._

_--- "Okay, I'll be right there! … Lucky get in the bathroom and lock the door because Molly is notorious for walking into our rooms and bathrooms without knocking if they're left unlocked. My mom's already going to kill me for this, but I don't want to add fuel to the fire by traumatizing my seven year old sister by having her see you naked."_

_Lucky ran into the bathroom and locked the door just before Molly got to it._

_Alexis quickly picked up the clothes on the floor before Molly got back into the room._

_--- "Molly! Please leave Sam alone and go help Kristina in the kitchen."_

_--- "Okay!"_

_Molly ran back through the living room, but noticed that her mother had men's clothing in her hand._

_--- "Why do you have boy's clothes?"_

_Alexis blushed._

_--- "Um, Sam must have been about to do some of Lucky's laundry, but silly her, she forgot we were coming over. I'm going to go bring these to her, go help Krissy."_

_Molly shrugged and went into the kitchen._

_Alexis ran towards Sam's room and knocked on the door._

_--- "Samantha, open this door right now," she hissed._

_Sam reluctantly opened the door to her very pissed off mother. Alexis walked in and handed her daughter Lucky's clothes. Sam walked to the bathroom, and gave them to him. _

_--- "Babe, here's your stuff. My mom was kind enough to bring them in for you."_

_Lucky turned red. He was a grown man, but it was never okay to be caught, or almost caught, in this case, having sex._

_--- "Thanks."_

_Sam walked back over to her mother and grabbed her clothes from her._

_--- "Jesus Christ Sam! I told you we were coming over! What the hell do you think your sister would have thought if she saw you and Lucky in the middle of what you were doing? What would you have told her?"_

_Sam smiled._

_--- "Um, that we were wrestling?"_

_--- "That's not funny, Samantha."_

_--- "Yea well, I'm sorry! We lost track of time. Mom, you wanna give me some privacy so I can change? I know how much of a prude you can be."_

_Alexis rolled her eyes. _

_--- "Sam, I've seen you undressed before. Don't get me off-track; I'm really mad about this!"_

_Sam shrugged her shoulders and started getting dressed._

_--- "Seriously Sam, you have to be more careful! You gave Kristina a key to your place as well. You can't just have sex in the middle of your living room!"_

_Right on cue, Molly ran into the room just as Lucky, fully dressed in the clothes that she had just seen her mother carrying, stepped out of the bathroom. _

_--- "Mommy! Kristina—"_

_Molly looked at her sister, and then back at Lucky. She ran in front of Sam trying to shield her the best way a petite seven year old could._

_--- "LUCKY! You can't be in here!" _

_Lucky gave Molly a perplexed look, when he noticed that Alexis was still in the room and Sam was only half dressed. _

_--- "Oh, I'm sorry! I, uh, I meant to go out the other door to the hallway, but I guess I got confused."_

_Lucky ran back into the bathroom and left through the other door. He quickly left the apartment. _

_Alexis glared at Sam who was on the verge of tears from holding in her laughter. Molly turned around and looked at Sam._

_--- "Sam, boys aren't supposed to see you undressed!" _

_--- "Oh, I know honey, but um, he just made a mistake. No harm done."_

_She quickly slipped her shirt over her head and finished dressing._

_--- "Why was Lucky wearing those clothes?"_

_Sam looked confused._

_--- "What do you mean? They're his clothes."_

_--- "Mommy said that you were going to wash them. They were all over the floor in the living room. What was he wearing before? And why didn't you have any clothes on?"_

_Alexis smacked herself on the forehead over the fact that she was about to have to explain the situation to her young child. Sam jumped in._

_--- "Honey, you ask a lot of questions. I'll explain everything to you later. I'm just really hungry right now."_

_Molly shrugged her shoulders._

_--- "Mommy, Kristina threw salad at me."_

_Molly walked out of the room leaving Sam to deal with her mother's wrath._

_--- "Samantha, you are SO lucky you got her to stop asking all those questions! I can't believe you!"_

_Sam shook her head and started to laugh._

_--- "Well, perhaps if you had taught her to knock before running into rooms, we wouldn't have had this problem in the first place. That child, like her mother, has no sense of privacy."_

_Sam walked out of the room, ready to eat._

_**End of Flashback.**_

Molly wondered whether or not Jeff had been telling her the truth. She hoped that Sam did not really let this bad man look at her.

Jeff continued to talk.

--- "See Precious, there are different types of ways to like a person. I happen to like your sister in a whole different kind of way than you. You'll understand when you're older."

He put his hand to her cheek.

--- "You really are a cutie. I hope you grow up to be as hot as Miss Everyday Heroine."

The van came to a stop near the docks, and Jeff stepped out.

* * *

Most of the cops and agents had left the lake house to go with Alexis down to the docks and Harbor View Road, to get Jeff. Sam and Spinelli continued to look up information about Will, but were still hitting a dead end.

--- "You know, I'm beginning to think that this guy was just a straight shooter that somehow got mixed up in this mess. I just don't get it, he's a good-looking guy, with a profession, and all of a sudden, he's gotten himself involved with a child prostitution ring? It doesn't add up. What the hell are we missing?!"

Suddenly they heard the front door opening and slam shut.

--- "What the hell?"

Kristina was immediately terrified once more; she held onto Sam for dear life.

--- "Baby, it's alright. Spinelli, help me into my chair now!"

Spinelli helped Sam get into the chair, and she quickly, but painfully, wheeled herself to her closet.

--- "Krissy, come here!"

Kristina was hesitant to move.

--- "Kristina, get over here right now!"

The scared teen jumped off the bed and went to the closet.

--- "I want you to reach in the corner over there and grab the metal box."

Kristina did as she was told and handed the box to her sister. Sam opened the box, and pulled out a small gun. Kristina gasped.

--- "OMG! Samantha, does Mom know that you have that here?!"

--- "No, of course not! Now wheel me in front of the door; I think I popped another stitch."

Spinelli jumped in.

--- "Fair Samantha do you think that wise?"

Before she could answer, she heard a familiar voice approaching her door.

* * *

He made his way back to the docks and hid himself behind some crates. He pulled his gun out with a silencer and waited for a clear shot.

* * *

Alexis paced the docks back and forth waiting for Jeff to show up. She did not know what she was going to do when she saw him, but she sincerely prayed that what Kristina saw in her nightmare was not about to happen.

After she paced for about fifteen minutes, she was convinced that Jeff was not going to show up, but she prayed that was not true; she needed her baby back. All of a sudden, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw the man that she had seen in the pictures from the FBI files.

--- "Where's my daughter?"

Jeff was a good-looking man; it was no wonder how he convinced so many young girls to run away with him.

--- "Oh Sweetheart, I definitely see where your girls get their looks from! My goodness, you are incredibly stunning."

Before she knew it, Jeff was right behind her, and she could feel his breath on her neck. Alexis immediately felt dirty. She tried to fight him off, but he was much stronger than she. He reached for her breasts, but realized that she was wearing a bulletproof vest.

--- "Oh dear, were you afraid that I'd try and kill you?"

--- "GET OFF OF ME!"

Jeff slipped his hand into her pants and moved his fingers down to her genitals. Alexis tried to kick him and elbow him, but his grip got stronger. He took his hand out of her pants and reached into his back pocket and pulled out his knife; he held it to her neck.

--- "Now, we can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way.

* * *

The PC officers quietly surrounded the area. Lucky noticed the man crouching behind the crates aiming his gun, with silencer attached, toward Alexis.

--- "Freeze!"

The man ignored the officer, saw a clear shot and took it. At the same time, Lucky shot the man dead.


	34. Deja Vu

Ok, I'm going on a last minute road trip; this time to party in DC for the weekend! You know what that means! It'll be a few days before the next chapter is up.

Um, I'm going to be evil though…

While you wait in anticipation of my return, do me a huge favor and let me know what you think of the way the story has headed. This was my first fanfic, so give me the good, bad, and ugly. PLEASE.

**NOTE**: I'm tired, and I've still got laundry to do. This has not been fully edited.

**Chapter 34**

Once Will arrived at his destination, he pulled the car over to the side of the road. He crawled to the back of the van where Molly was seated.

Molly never trusted anyone who remained quiet and observant while allowing another person to be the bully; she thought that the quiet ones were the ones to be most feared.

--- "Get away from me."

Will shook his head.

--- "I'm not going to hurt you."

He handed her a candy-bar. Molly, being famished, gratefully took it.

--- "Thank you."

--- "Molly, your name's Molly right?"

She nodded her head.

--- "Look, I'm not who you think I am. My name is Will. I'm so sorry that Jeff took you, but I wasn't going to let anything happen to you. I wasn't going to let him touch you or hurt you like he did your sisters. I didn't let him touch you, okay? Nothing happened."

Molly was reluctant to believe him. She stopped eating her candy-bar and looked at him for a second before softly replying.

--- "So why did you let him take me?"

Will sighed. He knew that he should have thought his plan out better than he had.

--- "Do you remember when your sister went missing?"

Molly nodded her head. Being eight, and usually in the background, when she was asked a question about something she experienced, Molly became unbelievably garrulous. The other person in the conversation typically would have to tune out most of the information because it was usually useless and unnecessary in regard to the question posed to the young child.

--- "Yea! When I came home, the phone was ringing, so I picked it up; Nurse Elizabeth, her son Jake's in my class, told me to get my Mommy. I went to find her, but she was taking a bubblebath, which was weird because she doesn't like taking baths, and she only does so when she's really really stressed. Well, when I gave her the phone, she started screaming, and nearly fell and cracked her head open when she tried to get out of the tub; I guess the bubbles were slippery. She told me to get Sammy, so I did. Sammy was asleep on her bed in her bathrobe; I hate waking her up because she gets really cranky and only Mommy can put her in check. When I woke her up, her eyes were really puffy and red; I think she was crying, but I don't know why. When I told her what our Mommy said, she jumped up and changed her clothes. Her bed had a huge wet stain on it; usually when that happens to me, it's because I had an accident (_ Molly blushed as she did not mean to reveal that _); it doesn't happen all the time, only when Sam watches me and she let's me drink too much before going to sleep. Mommy hates that and makes Sammy change the sheets and do my laundry.

- Anyway, her hair was wet, so I guess it's because she didn't dry her hair before she went to sleep; Mommy hates when she does that too. She says that it doesn't take much to put a towel in your hair, so the bed doesn't get soaking wet when she sleeps. When I asked her what happened, she said she didn't know, but she'd tell me when she found out. Well, then Mommy and Sam were running around the house crazy. And then I didn't see them all day. When Kristina came back, she was really sad because Sam was in the hospital. Mommy let me go visit her, and we bought her a bunch of stuff to keep her entertained; Mommy said that despite the recession, she thinks I kept that store in business. I think she liked them, but she was really sad because she couldn't walk anymore. Mommy had to help her take a bath. Sammy doesn't like not being able to help herself, so she gets mad at Mommy all the time; they're always arguing now. Sam says Mommy treats her like a baby because she won't let her try to do things on her own; but I'm not a baby because Mommy doesn't let me give myself a bath after camp. I think it's fun, because she lets me use the bubble bath, the really expensive one! They last forever! She says that I haven't mastered getting the dirt from camp off of me yet. She's probably right because when I take a bath by myself, I still have dirt in my hair and under my nails, and stuff, but when she does it, she gets it all; she says she doesn't understand how I manage to get so much dirt all over myself. It's easy, really, I dig for signs of fallen meteors in the ground, and then we go exploring through the woods, and we play kick ball. By the end of the day, we're all pretty messy.

- Well, when Sammy tried to prove that she was strong enough to take a bath by herself, she fell and hit her head. She had to go to the hospital. She had another surgery, this time to help her walk again. Well, I don't think the surgery worked because when I came home that night, Mommy was telling Viola, she's my nanny, that Sam was really mean and nasty to her, and now she refuses to visit her in the hospital; she said that Sammy needed a lesson on humility and respect. I don't know what that means, but Kristina said that Mommy was being stubborn and stupid because she really didn't visit Sam just because she said Sammy was being a spoiled childish brat. Kristina also said Sam was acting like an ungrateful donkey even though Mommy was breaking her back taking care of her and all she was doing was complaining. Kristina then said that Mommy was being ridiculous because Sam was starting to look like a dried up prune since Mommy refused to bring her any of her favorite shower wash and shampoo while she was in the hospital, and made her use the inferior stuff GH used on patients. Mommy just said that that'll teach Sam to mouth off to her. She doesn't like it when Sam does that. She says that just because Sammy's an adult, she's still the Mommy and she deserves respect, but Sam—"

Will was amazed at the speed at which this little girl spoke. It was obvious to him that she was an exceptionally observant little girl who had no idea about the gravity of the situation. While her story would have been interesting enough another day, he had to cut her off because she was getting way off topic, and time was of the essence.

--- "Wow, you like to talk... Ok, so you vividly remember when your sister was missing, that's good. Well, I was one of the guys who saved her."

Molly opened her mouth in shock.

--- "So why did you let him take me!? He was so mean, and my knees STILL hurts from falling! Do you know how mad my Mommy is going to be? She's a lawyer! She's going to sue you for like child endangerment or something!"

Will laughed; this kid was a hoot.

--- "I know, and again, I'm really really sorry about that. It's just that this bad man did something, or at least caused something bad to happen to quite a few girls like your sister."

--- "Really?"

--- "Yea, and I need to make sure that he pays for his actions. It was never my intention for you to get caught up in this. Okay? I would NEVER have allowed him to do anything to you. People like Jeff need to die; they should never put their hands on children… on anyone for that matter. He should never have had the chance to hurt your sisters."

Molly nodded her head, believing in what this quiet man told her. She started to feel sick and wanted to be in her mother's arms.

--- "I don't feel good. Mommy never lets me eat candy on an empty stomach. Are you going to take me home?"

Will pinched her cheek and smiled.

* * *

Agent Raynor and Mac Scorpio set up their men all around the Harbor View Road, along with up to a block of the docks. They did not want Jeff to notice that they had disobeyed his instruction, so the men were strategically placed along the block. Unfortunately, because the dock was an open area, they were unable to truly place men, so they wired Alexis with a mic, and snipers with long range shooting ability were hidden of roofs of buildings.

--- "Okay, we've got the entire area canvassed; this freak is not going anywhere."

Mac looked at Agent Raynor.

--- "Well then it's a good thing that we've got the PCPD on the job as well because we wouldn't be in this mess right now if your people didn't cause him to get loose."

--- "Look, I don't know why you've got an attitude right now. We know that a grave error was made; it will be handled accordingly."

--- "A grave error? You call one of your agents helping a pedophile free a grave error? A little girl was kidnapped!"

--- "Commissioner, we know that! OKAY?! WE KNOW! We know that we screwed up here; we don't need a small town police commissioner to let us know that. This guy is going to pay for his crimes, and we're going to have our asses handed to us. OKAY?"

Mac glared at Agent Raynor for a couple of seconds before letting the subject drop.

--- "So do you know what caused your agent to flip to the proverbial dark side?"

Agent Raynor sighed.

--- "He didn't flip. My men have been working through his past and personal life, and we've since figured out who he really is, and what he's doing. We can't believe we missed something like this, but I guess if it wasn't for inside talk, we wouldn't have put the pieces together."

* * *

Molly stepped out of the van.

--- "Thanks Will."

Will handed her an envelope.

--- "Molly, can you please put this in your pocket, and don't give it to anyone until later on tonight?"

Molly nodded her head.

--- "Good. Thanks Molly."

--- "What is it?"

Will looked at her; she really was a cute kid.

--- "Um, it's something that's really important but won't be until later."

--- "Why can't you hold on to it then?"

Will sighed.

--- "I don't think I'll be able to; I don't think I'll be around. Please, Molly, just do as I ask. It's really important."

Molly looked at this man who basically saved her life; she knew that whatever the envelope contained, it was exceptionally important to him.

--- "Okay. I'll hold on to it."

Will patted the little girl's cheek.

--- "You're a good kid. Stay that way, okay? Don't let anyone try to change you. Listen to your mom and your sisters, they've been through a lot, so they'll not what they're talking about."

Molly was confused, but she nodded her head anyway.

Will closed the van door and drove away leaving Molly to walk up the driveway to her house.

Her knees were still bothering her, but she tried to walk as quickly as she could. When she finally reached the house, she opened the door, and slammed it short, as was her habit.

--- "Mommy? Sammy? Krissy?"

She did not get a response. She walked up the three short steps and looked down the hall toward her mother's and sister's rooms, but there were no lights on. She looked down the other hallway, and noticed a slight glimmer of light underneath Sam's room; she walked quickly, almost running, in that direction.

--- "Sammy, are you home?"

Kristina ran to the door to open it.

--- "MOLLY!"

Molly ran into the room, forgetting the pain in her knees, past Kristina and Sam, and into the bathroom. Sam and Kristina looked at each other in utter shock.

--- "What the hell?"

Kristina pushed Sam's chair and went after Molly in the bathroom, who was just hopping onto the toilet.

--- "HEY! Do you mind?! I want some… privacy!" She hesitated because she couldn't remember the last word.

Sam and Kristina started to laugh at their little sister on the toilet. Sam shook her head in disbelief.

--- "Baby, are you kidding me? I didn't think you knew what privacy was!"

Kristina jumped in.

--- "Yea, I don't think you've given any one of us a single ounce of it since you were born! You barge in on us without a second's thought!"

Molly blushed.

--- "Well, I'm going number two, so, um, you might want to leave."

Sam looked at Kristina.

--- "Yea, Krissy, get me out of here, she's got something rotten in her stomach! It's starting to reek in here. Molly, I can't tell you how happy we are that you're home."

Kristina and Sam left Molly to her business. Kristina pulled out her cell phone and dialed her mother's number. The phone went straight to voicemail.

--- "Damn it, why isn't she picking up!?"

She left her a message.

--- "MOM! Come back home right now! Molly's home!"

Sam grabbed the phone and dialed Lucky's number; he picked up on the second ring.

--- "Lucky! It's Sam. I need you to get to my Mom right away! Molly's home!"

Lucky was a block away from the docks.

--- "Oh my God, that's fantastic! I'll call you back."

Lucky radioed in to Agent Raynor and Commissioner Scorpio with the news. Afterwards, he made a mad dash to the docks.

Molly stepped back into the room and hopped onto Sam's lap; she gave her older sister a hug. Sam reciprocated her sister's hug tenfold; Kristina joined in on the hug.

--- "Baby, you don't know how great it is to see you. Let me look at you. Spinelli, can you step out for a few minutes, please? Krissy, go get Mol a change of clothes, and bring a plastic bag for these things."

Spinelli had tears of joy in his eyes.

--- "Oh Miniature Goddess Clone, the Jackal is pleased to see you!"

Spinelli left the room, followed by Kristina who ran out to get her sister a change of clothes. Molly hopped off of her sister.

--- "Baby, did he touch you? You know, any bad touch?"

Molly shook her head.

--- "Ok, good. Did he give you anything to eat at all, that might have made you fall asleep?"

Again, Molly shook her head.

--- "Baby, are you sure?"

Kristina came back into the room with the change of clothes Sam requested. Sam and Kristina helped Molly out of her clothes, checking her body to see if there were any bruises or markings. Kristina noticed her sister's banged up knees.

--- "Mol, what's up with your knees? Why are they black and blue, and why did you wince when you took your pants off?"

Sam looked at Kristina, then back to Molly. Her mind was reeling over what might have been the cause of her sister's bruises.

--- "Baby, did he make you do anything?"

Molly gave her sister a confused look.

--- "No. He tied my legs to a chair so I couldn't run away, but I forgot. When I tried to run away from him because he was saying bad things and kept calling me Precious, I fell over and hit my knees hard. They still hurt, Sammy."

Both Sam and Kristina let out sighs of relief, as their worse thoughts were not what had happened to their sister.

--- "Well, they look like they'll hurt for a little bit because it looks like you took a nasty fall. Now, was there a time when he might have made you go to sleep? Like, you remember being one place first, but then you woke up someplace else?"

Molly nodded her head. Her sisters looked worried.

--- "Baby, do you remember where you were last before you went to sleep?"

--- "I was running to get a ball at camp, I think. And then I remember waking up in some room. I was tied up, and my mouth was covered. I don't think anything bad happened to me, like he did to you."

Kristina looked at her sister.

--- "Mol, what do you mean?"

Molly sat back in Sam's lap, and leaned her head on her sister's shoulder; she suddenly became very tired.

--- "I know that the bad man was looking at Sammy when she wasn't dressed because he knew about her tattoos and scars. Then, the nice man, Will, he told me that he wasn't going to let anything happen to me. He told me the bad man didn't hurt me like he did to you two."

Sam was in disbelief.

--- "Baby, Will brought you here?"

--- "Yea, he dropped me in front of the house, but he didn't want to pull into the driveway."

--- "Did he tell you anything?"

--- "He said that people like the bad man, I think his name is Jeff, need to die because they hurt people."

Sam's heart was racing; this Will character was not trying to help Jeff escape, he planned on killing him. She had to find out where he was right away, because he might go after him and cause her mother to be hurt in the process. She gave her sister a kiss on the top of the head.

--- "Baby, it looks like you're exhausted. When Mom comes home, we're going to have to go to the hospital, because she's going to want to get you checked out. Now, it's going to be really uncomfortable, and a little embarrassing, but it's necessary because we have to make sure everything is okay, and the bad man didn't hurt or touch you. Do you understand?"

Molly yawned again, and nodded.

--- "Will you stay with me?"

--- "Of course, sweetie, anything you want. Now, why don't you lie on my bed, and go to sleep?"

Molly got off of her sister's lap. Kristina pulled the sheets back on Sam's bed, and tucked her little sister in; Molly was knocked out within seconds.

Sam grabbed her phone and called Lucky back, praying that he picked up the phone.

* * *

Lucky ran to the docks. He spotted a man crouched down behind a crate with his gun pointed to aim. Lucky took notice of the target: it was Jeff. Unfortunately Alexis was with him, and there was no way Lucky could allow this man to shoot while the mother of the woman he loved was in harms way.

--- "Freeze!"

The man took no notice of Lucky and took his shot as soon as it became clear.

Within protocol, Lucky shot to kill. The man fell over; it was Will. Just as Lucky was about to radio for help, he heard a scream, followed by a thud.

Lucky felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw Sam was calling. He looked at the scene; he thought it best not to pick up the phone.

* * *

Jeff walked along the shadows of the dock watching the worried mother pace back and forth looking at her watch. He never liked arriving early or on time; he preferred having people wait for him. In fact, Jeff liked it better when he could surprise someone with his arrival and departure.

It amazed him how this obviously intelligent district attorney could possibly believe that he had any desire to spend a single minute in prison. He could have easily taken off once Will helped him escape, but he was too cocky to do so; he liked to make people squirm. He stood watching the mother of those beautiful Davis girls, in awe of her beauty; he knew that he had to have some kind of taste before he disappeared from the town.

When he noticed that she was becoming restless, he made his move towards her.

--- "Where's my daughter?"

Jeff continued to walk towards her.

--- "Oh Sweetheart, I definitely see where your girls get their looks from! My goodness, you are incredibly stunning."

Before she knew it, Jeff was right behind her, and she could feel his breath on her neck. He licked the side of her neck, taking in her taste. He held her tightly as she attempted to struggle out of his grasp. When he felt the bulletproof vest she was wearing, he could not help but be angry.

--- "Oh dear, were you afraid that I'd try and kill you?"

--- "GET OFF OF ME!"

Jeff slipped his hand into her pants and moved his fingers down to her genitals, but stopped just shy when Alexis tried to kick him and elbow him. He pulled his hand out and, still gripping her tightly, reached into his back pocket and pulled out his knife; he held it to her neck.

--- "Now, we can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way.

Alexis relented, as she knew that she was no use to her girls dead. He turned her around and ripped her shirt open, exposing the bulletproof vest.

--- "Take it off."

She did as he was told. She stood on the docks with this pedophile topless but for her bra and the exposed wire. He shook his head and sliced the wire with his knife, slicing through her skin in the process. She winced in pain.

--- "Well, looks like you might have a matching scar to your daughter."

Suddenly, he felt something zoom past him, grazing his head. Alexis screamed and ducked for cover.

--- "SHIT! Bitch, you're going to pay for that one. I told you no cops down here!"

In a weird twist of faith, almost exactly as recounted to her in her daughter's dream, Jeff grabbed Alexis and pulled her to him; he quickly and fiercely stabbed her in the stomach. Alexis screamed in pain and fell over. Before he could toss her into the water, a shot went right through his chest. Jeff fell over on top of his latest and final victim.

* * *

NOW REVIEW... PRETTY PLEASE. :o)


	35. Secrets

**Revelations**

Okie dokie, after a fantastic weekend in DC with many cranapple martinis, mucho dancing, a lost voice, and a 6 hour long drive that should've taken on 4 hours, but traffic is always the gift that keeps on giving, your new chapter has arrived. I'm glad you all enjoyed my cliffhanger; I certainly did! And if you must know Soapdemon, I'm NOT hungover; I held my liquor like a champ!! :P

**NOTE**: I have to get some research done between today and tomorrow for a case at work (internship starts again next Thursday when the semester restarts! AAAAH!), so don't expect another update until sometime Wednesday.

Thanks again for your comments and support; they certainly do give me the incentive to continue to write and get these chapters out for you. Please keep reviewing!

**NOTE: **So apparently I had some errors in the last posting! I suppose that's what happens when you type and make corrections on little sleep. Oh Well! Here's the revised chapter. There's no difference between this and the original chapter; just corrected the mistakes.

**Chapter 35**

Kristina noticed something in Molly's folded pants. She pulled the pants out of the plastic bag and grabbed the discovered envelope from her sister's pocket. Sam, who was trying to not be distracted by the fact that neither Lucky nor her mother were responding to her phone calls, saw the envelope Kristina had just pulled out.

--- "What is that?"

Kristina handed the envelope to her older sister.

--- "I have no idea; I just noticed it in Molly's pants."

Sam took the envelope from her sister, and opened it.

--- "There's a note and key here. The note says that this key opens safety deposit 306 at the bank up the block."

Kristina was confused.

--- "I wonder if Will gave her that? But, why would he?"

--- "Um, I don't know. I hate to do this, but I think we need to wake her up and find out."

Sam rolled herself close to her bed so that she could reach her little sister. She passed her hands up and down Molly's back.

--- "Baby, I need you to wake up for a couple of minutes."

Like her sisters and mother, Molly hated to be woken up from her sleep.

--- "Leave me alone, Sammy; I'm tired."

Sam rolled her eyes. While Molly was normally a sweet kid, there was no question that when sleep-deprived, she was cranky.

--- "Mol, this is important; you need to wake up."

Molly rolled over and looked at her older sister.

--- "I don't like it when you wake me up."

Sam smiled; her sister was incredibly adorable when she was sleepy and cranky.

--- "Baby, I don't like it when you wake me up either, but you do it all the time. Besides, I wouldn't have woken you up if it weren't important. Can you tell me where you got this key and note?"

Molly sat up in the bed. She had no idea what Sam was talking about.

--- "I don't know. I didn't have a key and note."

--- "Yea honey, you did. We found it in an envelope in your pocket."

Molly remembered the envelope she wasn't supposed to give to anyone until later. However, since Will had not told her when later was, Molly figured that it was okay that her sisters had found it.

--- "Oh yea! Will gave that to me and told me not to give it to anyone until later. He said that he couldn't give it himself because he didn't think that he'd be here."

Kristina looked at Sam a bit confused as to what that was supposed to mean; Sam returned the same look to her middle sister.

--- "Um, okay… well, Spinelli, can you go to the bank and bring everything that's in that safety deposit box here, please?"

Spinelli looked up from his computer screen.

--- "Why of course! The Jackal is at Fair Samantha's service!"

--- "Thanks."

Spinelli took the key and departed for the bank.

Molly climbed out of the bed and back into Sam's lap; she wasn't feeling well and since her mother was not yet home, Sam was the next best source of comfort to the little girl. Like Alexis, Sam was always able to read right through Molly; she always knew when something was bothering her.

--- "What's the matter munchkin? You don't feel well?"

Molly nodded her head. Kristina leaned forward and rubbed her sister's back.

--- "Well, what did you eat, Mol?"

Molly looked over at Kristina.

--- "He didn't feed me anything. Will gave me a candybar; so I ate that."

Sam knew that was the cause of her sister's stomachache.

--- "Ah, well baby, that's the problem! Your tummy didn't want candy; it wanted real food. Come on, let's see if we have some chicken soup in the kitchen; I think that you might feel a little bit better after having some."

Molly yawned and nodded her head. Kristina wheeled Sam and Molly into the kitchen. There was a can of chicken soup in the cupboard, so she put it to heat up, and sat at the table across from her sisters. She couldn't help but be worried about her mother.

--- "Um, Molly, why don't you go lie down in the living room, and we'll let you know when the soup is ready."

Molly did not respond to Kristina. Sam looked down at her; the little girl had already fallen asleep before they went into kitchen; the poor thing was pretty zonked from the excitement, for lack of a better word, of the day. Kristina shrugged her shoulders and looked at her older sister.

--- "Sam, I think something's wrong."

Kristina had a nagging feeling that something was up, presumably with their mother. It had been almost an hour since Alexis had left, but they still had not heard anything from neither her, Lucky, Mac, nor even Agent Raynor. Kristina was beginning to sense that something might have gone terribly wrong.

--- "I think Mom might be hurt."

Sam put her finger to her lips.

--- "Krissy, let's put Molly down in the living room first."

Kristina wheeled them into the living room, and moved Molly onto the couch. She and Sam made their way back to the kitchen.

Sam had had the same feeling her sister did, but did not want to say anything to her for fear of unnecessarily scaring her if in case everything was alright. She prayed that her feelings were not true, but was realistic over the fact that Jeff had already proven that he was capable of anything. She was terrified that their mother might have been seriously hurt, but she knew that for Alexis' sake, she needed to stay strong for her sisters.

Sam loved Alexis to the point that she often forgot that several years prior, the women were constantly at odds. It no longer mattered that Alexis had not raised her from birth since she treated her as she did her sisters; more specifically, Alexis had the ability to keep Sam in check attitude wise, and expected the same amount of respect from her eldest daughter as she had from the younger ones.

If God forbid anything were to happen to their mother, it would be on Sam, paralyzed or not, to make sure her sisters were raised accordingly; this was a promise Alexis had previously requested of Sam.

--- "Honey, I'm sure that she's alright. Whatever happens, we'll get through it. Okay?"

******************************************************************************************************************************************************

When Lucky saw that Alexis was lying helplessly on the ground with Jeff seemingly dead, he ran onto the docks to make sure that she was alive. He felt his phone vibrating every couple of minutes, but he did not yet want to speak to Sam and let her know what happened until he knew if her mother were okay.

Lucky pulled Jeff off of Alexis, and checked to see if he had a pulse; he was dead. Lucky was grateful for that. Alexis was lying on her stomach, so he rolled her over. She had a stab wound in her stomach, but her pulse was relatively strong. Lucky applied pressure to the wound, to stop the bleeding, and radioed in for an ambulance.

--- "Alexis! It's Lucky, I need you to wake up."

Mac and Agent Raynor ran up to the scene. Mac was livid; if Jeff had not already been dead, he probably would have killed him himself.

--- "Shit! That sick son of a bitch stabbed her! Damn it! Lucky is she alive?"

--- "Yea, her pulse is pretty strong. I'm obviously no doctor, but I think the wound looks worse than it actually is."

Agent Raynor looked at the beautiful woman lying on the ground; he could not help but feel responsible for her injury. He kept a small container of smelling salts in his pocket whenever he worked in the field because there was always the likelihood of someone getting hurt or passing out for some reason or another. He opened the container, and placed it underneath Alexis' nose. She began to awaken almost immediately; she let out a scream of pain.

--- "SHIT! Oh my God!"

The men rejoiced. Agent Raynor smiled at her exclamation; he was happy to hear her voice, even if it were for the purpose of profanity.

--- "Welcome back DA Davis! You're going to be fine! We're going to make sure of that."

Alexis was shocked by the pain in her abdomen. She looked around the scene before her, and realized that three men were staring at her, none of whom she was remotely attracted to sexually, and she did not have a top on; one of the men happened to be her daughter's ex-boyfriend. She blushed. Despite the obvious pain, she at least wanted to retain some form of dignity.

--- "Um, I know this might seem like an odd request, but can one of you cover me up some? I kind of don't like being exposed like this in front of three men, one who so happened to have dated my daughter."

The men laughed; they took it as a good sign that the stab wound must not have been too serious, since the district attorney was talking and making light of the situation. Mac found her shirt on the ground; he placed it over her.

--- "Thanks Mac."

--- "No problem. The ambulance will be here shortly, so don't worry, we're going to make sure that you're fine."

Alexis was grateful for that, but her mind immediately went to Molly. She nearly jumped up, but the pain was too severe, causing her to fall back.

--- "Oh my God! My baby! Where's Molly!? Oh my God!"

Lucky immediately calmed Alexis down.

--- "She's fine Alexis! Sam called; she told me that Molly was home."

Alexis let out a sigh of relief; she prayed that that bastard had not touched her baby.

--- "I want to talk to my girls."

Just as Alexis made the request the paramedics arrived.

--- "Alexis, I'll call Sam and let her know that you were asking for them. I'll even go to the house and bring them to the hospital to see you, but let the men work on you, okay?"

Alexis knew that she did not have much of a choice in the matter.

--- "Fine. Just make sure to let them know that I love them. Tell Sam that when she gets to the hospital, she needs to have Molly fully examined, and to also get her stitches redone because no doubt she popped a few while I wasn't there. I want Molly to stay with one of her sisters, if not both when the doctor sees her because she's going to be terrified, and I don't want my kid anymore scared than what she's already been through today. So make sure that the girls know that they are not to leave their sister's side. As for Kristina, please let her know to not blame herself for any of this. Okay Lucky? And tell them that I love them again."

Lucky always loved how protective and intuitive Alexis was in regard to her children's needs.

--- "No problem."

As the EMTs quickly loaded Alexis onto the ambulance and brought her to General Hospital, Lucky jumped into his car and sped off to the lake house.

******************************************************************************************************************************************************

Spinelli arrived back at the house within minutes as the bank was not very far from the lake house.

--- "I have the contents of the safety deposit box, Fair Samantha."

Spinelli handed Sam a large yellow envelopes, along with two letter envelopes.

--- "Thanks for everything Spinelli! You can probably get going now; I'll let you know how everything pans out later."

--- "Your graciousness is humbly received. Good tidings, Fair Samantha and to you Rebellious Hellion!"

--- "Bye."

After Spinelli left, Sam looked at the envelopes with her sister. The first envelope was addressed to the Linfield family, the second to the Davis family, and the third, the largest one, to the authorities. Because none of the envelopes were sealed, and Sam was curious to know what was in each one, she looked through them; she opened the third envelope first.

Inside, Sam found a note which stated that everything contained in that envelope should end the large child prostitution ring that Jeff had created and lead to the prosecution of all those involved.

--- "Wow, Will has a list of names and addresses of men throughout the Midwest who are running the ring for Jeff! He's even got pictures of these men while they're with the girls on the street!"

Kristina was livid.

--- "Okay, so you're telling me that this Will character has been working undercover this whole time! Why the hell would he allow Molly and me to be taken! I was drugged and RAPED because of this! He could've stopped this!"

Sam put her hand on her sister's knee.

--- "Sweetie, calm down. I know that this is a lot to take in, but we can't change any of that now. At least we know that with this information, no more girls have to be put through the crap that you've gone through."

Sam continued to look through the envelope.

--- "Um, he's got a spreadsheet of girls who went missing, their home addresses, the last known place that they had been seen, a column to indicate whether or not they were dead, and another column that states whether or not he had a picture of them. My God, this guy was seriously keeping tabs on Jeff!"

Sam found pictures of young girls while on the street; they looked ragged and strung out. Her heart immediately broke for them at the thought that had she not found Kristina when she had, that the images of those girls could have been her sister's fate. She fought back tears.

--- "Um, these pictures have dates on them; I guess it was the last time that he had seen each girl. They also have the names of the girls on it."

Kristina shook her head in confusion.

--- "What I don't understand is why Will would have all this information and hold onto it instead of turning it in to the FBI immediately. Why would he break Jeff out of jail, help him kidnap Molly, and then bring her back here, then go after him? None of this makes any sense."

Sam agreed wholeheartedly with her sister, but that did not seem to matter anymore. The point was that Will gave Molly the key to all this information, and now it was time for justice to be paid.

--- "I don't know Krissy. All I know is that we've gotta make sure the FBI gets this envelope as soon as possible!"

Kristina nodded in agreement. Sam put the contents back in the envelope the way that she had found them. There was so much more to look at in it, but she wanted to see what Will had to say to the Linfield family, whoever they were. As she was about to open the envelope addressed to that family, Lucky ran into the kitchen.

--- "Hey—"

Sam and Kristina were shocked to see Lucky.

--- "Where's our mother?"

--- "She's at the hospital."

Both girls screamed.

--- "WHY!?"

--- "She was stabbed—"

Kristina jumped up and started moving Sam out of the kitchen. Lucky stopped them.

--- "Wait! Your mom was stabbed, but she's fine. She told me to tell you two that you need to take Molly to the hospital so that she could be checked out; you two are to remain with her throughout the time because Alexis doesn't want her to be frightened. Sam, your mom also told me to tell you that you need to be examined as well because she's certain that you've popped a couple of stitches. Kristina, she said that you shouldn't blame yourself for anything that has happened. And of course, she says that she loves you all."

Sam rolled her eyes at the fact that her mother knew that she had popped a stitch.

Kristina, on the other hand, did feel as though everything were her fault. She had already felt horribly that Sam was in the chair since Jeff stabbed her while she was trying to come save her; and now their mother was in the hospital for a stab wound of her own.

--- "Is that asshole still breathing?"

Lucky shook his head.

--- "No; a sniper took him out. – I took out Will."

The girls gaped at Lucky; he was confused by their reaction.

--- "What are you shocked about? I thought you'd be happy that Jeff and Will were both dead!"

Sam was happy that Jeff was finally dead, but after seeing the contents of the envelope, she was saddened to hear that Will was gone.

--- "Believe me, Lucky, we're ecstatic over the fact that Jeff died, but we're sad that Will died as well."

Lucky was confused.

--- "Didn't Will help kidnap Molly?"

Sam handed the envelope addressed to the authorities to Lucky.

--- "Yea, but apparently Will was working undercover. I don't know if he was actually working for the FBI, or if he was doing everything on his own, but this envelope contains a lot of information that will take down Jeff's operation in the Midwest and ease a lot of families concerns about their daughters."

Lucky looked through the envelope.

--- "WOW."

--- "Yea, wow is right. That dude really had us snowed. Okay, um, can we get to the hospital now?"

--- "Yea, let's go."

Lucky picked Molly up from the couch and carried her to Alexis' car while Kristina wheeled Sam, who quickly hid the other two envelopes from Lucky.

******************************************************************************************************************************************************

Once at the hospital, Alexis was rushed in for a CT scan to verify the extent of the damage done by the stab wound. From the images, Patrick noted that no major organs had been damaged; he was relieved. Alexis would need numerous stitches to close up the wound.

--- "Alexis, you're going to make a full recovery. Because you've got stitches, I need you to make sure that you don't strain yourself."

Alexis' thoughts went to her daughters.

--- "I have three kids; straining myself is a part of the deal."

Patrick shook his head.

--- "No, let Sam and Kristina help themselves, with a nurse helping Sam with the things that she can't yet do by herself. Once she gets her stitches taken out, which should be in a couple of weeks, she should be fine to try things on her own, especially since she's got feelings back in her legs. As for Molly, Kristina can help her a lot as well, I'm sure. Alexis, I don't want you to try and pick Molly up, or help Sam in and out of her chair; that'll cause your stitches to tear. You might actually want to consider getting a nurse to help you as well for the first couple of days because you're going to be sore."

Alexis was not about to have some random nurse in her home helping her. She was not going to tell Patrick that, so she just feigned compliance.

--- "Fine, I'll do as you ask. How long will I have these stitches in for?"

--- "Probably the next two weeks."

Alexis rolled her eyes; it was obvious where Sam got her stubbornness.

Speaking of the devil, there was a knock at the door; Kristina wheeled Sam, who had a sleeping Molly on her lap, into the examination room. Alexis' heart melted at the sight of her youngest baby safely with her sisters.

--- "Hi my babies."

Kristina gave her mother a kiss on the cheek; afraid to hug her for fear that she might cause her any pain. Alexis returned the kiss and past her hand along Sam and Molly's cheeks, as she was unable to lean forward to kiss them.

Sam smiled at her mother; she was happy to see that she was alive and appeared fine.

--- "So, we're just incredibly happy that you're alright. But, Mom, did you really have to get a matching stab wound to mine?"

Alexis laughed and smacked Sam on the arm.

--- "Very funny Samantha. How's Molly? She looks so peaceful."

Kristina nodded her head in agreement.

--- "She's fine. She has a stomachache."

--- "My poor baby!"

Patrick cleared his throat.

--- "Alexis, we need to get you stitched up. Ladies, if you could just give us—"

Alexis cut Patrick off.

--- "My girls are staying right here! My baby was kidnapped; I'm not letting her out of my sight for a second. These two aren't squeamish, they'll be fine."

Patrick shrugged his shoulders.

--- "Okay, whatever you say."

He uncovered the wound and began working. Sam and Kristina gasped, but Alexis reassured them.

--- "Girls, don't worry, it apparently looks worse than it actually is. Plus, I'm numbed up right now. Lucky for me, I just need stitches. So, tell me how Molly was when she came home. How'd she get home anyway?"

Kristina answered.

--- "We don't think he did anything to her—"

Alexis cut her daughter off.

--- "How do you know that?"

--- "Because Will was looking after her, and he's the one that brought her back home to us."

Alexis was shocked, but not convinced that Jeff had not abused her baby.

--- "How do we even know if that's the truth? I mean, Will could have said anything so that he didn't go to jail. Why would he help Jeff if he had no intention of doing anything to Molly?"

Sam produced the letter that Will had written to the Linfields and the other he had written to their family.

--- "Because he explained everything in these. Believe us, Mom, Will was a good guy."

*

*

*

******************************************************************************************************************************************************

_So, readers, what's your take on Will? Who do you think he is? A certain someone seems to think that she knows, but I'm not telling her if she's right or wrong._

_Please note that the next chapter is already outlined, so your answers, if you choose to reply, will have no bearing on the outcome of the story. I'm just curious to know if I'm at all predictable! _


	36. Clarity

The story is winding down people… my voyage to hell is coming up in eight days. Enjoy the new chapter!

**Side note: **For whatever reason, while I get the notification of your reviews, they've stopped appearing in the review section here! How rude! Nonetheless, keep them coming!

**Chapter 36**

Sam handed her mother the note from Will addressed to the their family.

--- "Mom, I read it while we were on our way here. I think you should read it too."

--- "What about the other one?"

Sam blushed.

--- "Um, it wasn't exactly addressed to us."

--- "And you read it, Samantha?"

--- "Hey! It wasn't sealed!"

Alexis rolled her eyes and smiled.

--- "That's a felony… I'll take our letter."

Alexis took the letter from Sam and read it aloud.

*******************************************************************************************************************************************************

_Davis Family,_

_I am truly sorry for all the trouble that I've helped bring to your family. I really hope that you understand that it was never my intention to have Molly be kidnapped; she just so happened to be an innocent bystander in this whole mess. In my field of work, I've seen how the loss of a child, be it by death, kidnapping, or otherwise, can destroy a family; I never wanted anything of the sort to occur to your family._

_My goal in everything was to have Jeff pay for the horrible crimes he committed against countless young girls, who, if they were lucky (although I suppose in regard to the situations that they were living in, luck is a relative term), became women. I understand that vigilantism is an inappropriate method of punishment, but refraining from taking the matter into my own hands would not have caused the ending of the child prostitution rings he established in the Midwest. _

_I've been trailing Jeff over the past two years, but had been unable to get close enough to the inside of his operation until he finally arrived in Port Charles, and he began dating your daughter, Kristina. She's a really sweet and beautiful girl; she's a lot like another girl who found herself in the same evil situation. This girl was, like Kristina, a bit on the wild side. She partied a lot, drank constantly, and was, of course, taken advantage of by the people whom she referred to as her friends. One night, she encountered this Jeff character, and soon she found herself stolen from the family who loved her, and thrown into the life of prostitution. My heart broke at the thought of someone so young and beautiful, with so much potential, being treated like some sexual plaything. When she went missing, we searched hi and low for her, but all to no avail. Her body was later discovered, beaten and filled with needle marks, in a garbage dump. From that point, I knew that I needed to have more of an active role in taking Jeff down and saving other impressionable girls from the same fate._

_In 2007, I was placed, with Kevin, the man who saved Kristina, as an undercover agent at Port Charles University. We knew that it was only a matter of time before Jeff made his way to this town since he had been applying to the university for entry into the early medical school program. As a result, we were placed on campus as students in the same program Jeff was to become a part of; we awaited his arrival. Before long, we were able to lure Jeff into our friendship. _

_In the process of compiling information on Jeff, Kevin and I became close. We spoke constantly and tirelessly about our families and ourselves. As we worked more and more closely on this case, we discovered a common interest in each other that neither of us had ever experienced with any other partner. Kevin was the greatest friend that I had ever known._

_Anyway, as Kevin and I continued to talk, I discovered that he was harboring a secret. Kevin had managed to change his name and create a whole new identity for himself, in a short period of time, which the FBI had never discovered. Kevin's real name was Eric Linfield; he was the brother of the murdered young girl, Jessica, I just told you about. This was an obvious conflict of interest; Kevin vowed me to secrecy. Had the FBI found out about this deceit, Kevin would have been off the case in a minute, and we would have had to start from square one, as no other agent had known more about Jeff than Kevin. We had come to far in our investigation to allow something like that to happen, so we kept his true identity quiet._

_When the fateful day came when Kristina was brought to Mercy Hospital, neither Kevin nor I knew that Jeff had raped her. I cannot tell you how sorry I am that this had to happen to her. I know that it seems as though she was used as a guinea pig in this situation, but I promise you that she was not. We were thrilled to find out that her sister, Samantha McCall, had discovered their relationship so we thought that it was over. When Jeff contacted Kevin a couple of days later to inform him that he had Kristina once again, and that he would be charging for guys to sleep with her, we knew we couldn't jump the gun on this. _

_We knew that Kristina and Jeff had been having "consensual" sex, but we never expected that he would drug her and proceed to rape her. Because he had already been sleeping with her, this was a pattern of behavior that no one had expected. It seems, however, that Jeff has proven himself to be an anomaly and has deviated significantly from the course of standard behavior. Unfortunately, Kristina became the one who would save many other girls like her from a life of prostitution. _

_When Jeff took Kristina into the room, Kevin and I agreed that I should be the one, who should go in and save her, but Jeff turned the tables, and Kevin went in instead, while I stayed behind. As soon as Jeff decided to go for a walk, Kevin and I made our move to getting Kristina to safety. When we spotted the blood on the corridor floor, Kevin told us to go upstairs, while he searched the area. I thought that this was a bad idea seeing as Kevin was too emotionally attached to the situation, and any fight with Jeff could undoubtedly go wrong. I, however, could not risk arguing with him if Jeff was in the vicinity; neither Kevin nor I wanted him to spot Kristina for fear that he would either kill or run off with her. I then took Kristina up to safety. At the time, I had no idea that Sam's blood was all over the floor, and that she had become Jeff's latest victim. It pains me to think of the devastation this man has attempted to bring onto your family._

_After Kevin was stabbed, I went to see him at the hospital. He was conscious for all of 5 minutes, but in that time, he begged me to do whatever I could to ensure that I ended Jeff's prostitution ring. Kevin didn't want any other family to go through the hell that his had gone through. When Kevin died, my heart broke for the Linfield family as they had already lost one child, and now their son was also gone, and again at the hands of that evil man. Kevin had promised them that he would avenge his sister's death, but he was gone. Kevin was like a brother to me; I had to keep my promise to him, and uphold the promise he made to his family._

_So, here I am. I set Jeff free, if only for a few days, in order to attain all the information necessary for me to completely wipe out his evil rings. Thankfully, I've accomplished what I set forth to do. My sole mission was to bring peace to those families whose daughters were taken and killed, and help rebuild those whose girls survived this crazy ordeal. If you have this letter, then the FBI must have all of the information that I have compiled throughout my two years on the case, along with what he's given me during the time I spent with him, pertaining to the rings; this should be sufficient to arrest all those involved and save those girls and now women who spent some time in such a horrible life._

_Again, I am so very sorry that little Molly had to go through all of this. I assure you that no harm came to her; I would've sooner killed Jeff dead at that moment than to allow another child to be abused. Molly is a very sweet kid; you're lucky to have her._

_I hope that by the end of this whole nightmare, your family will be able to move on and start anew. _

_Sincerely, _

_William Rifton_

*******************************************************************************************************************************************************

Everyone in the room was silent after Alexis read the letter. The Davis women all wiped tears from their eyes. Patrick finished stitching up Alexis' wound, and bandaged it up.

--- "All set, Alexis. Remember what I said, you need to keep the wound covered, especially when you shower. You don't want it getting wet."

She heard what Patrick had said, but after reading the letter, she was a bit overwhelmed.

--- "Yea, sure Patrick."

--- "Normally we would keep you overnight for observation, but considering everything that has happened, I'll let you go home with your girls. I do, however, want to see you back here tomorrow afternoon."

Alexis nodded her head. She looked at Sam then to Patrick, remembering that she wanted her daughter's stitches checked.

--- "Patrick, can you check Sam's back please?"

--- "Yea, no problem. I'm going to leave you ladies here for a few minutes to sort out everything. I'm sorry about everything, and I'm happy that Molly's home safe and sound. I'll be right back."

--- "Thanks. Um, I also want to have Molly checked out. I don't want to put her through a whole examination because I believe Will when he says Jeff didn't touch her. I just want to make sure that everything else is fine with her. You know, no adverse effects from any drugs he might have given her; things like that."

Patrick nodded and left her with her daughters to deal their feelings.

--- "Wow. I don't know what to say about this. I feel horrible. This guy was just trying to help his partner avenge the death of his sister, and he ended up losing his own life. I feel so bad for the Linfield family; I mean, first they lost their daughter, then their son! And Will, I wonder if he had a family of his own. God, I couldn't even imagine losing you girls. I'm so grateful you're all alright."

Molly struggled and began to whimper in her sleep on Sam's lap.

--- "I want my Mommy…"

Sam rubbed her sister's back, and kissed the top of her sister's head.

--- "It's okay baby."

Kristina looked from her sisters to her mother.

--- "She's gonna have bad dreams for a while."

Alexis wanted to hold her youngest daughter so badly, but she knew that with the freshly stitched abdomen, that was not yet possible. She reached her hand out for Kristina.

--- "Sweetie, are you alright? I know that everything is really hard for you. I mean, it does seem as though you might have been used to bring down this ring."

Kristina wiped a stray tear.

--- "I'm not going to lie, I'm angry, Mom. But, at the same time, I guess I understand why they couldn't do much to help me. I just hope that they're able to really end those horrible prostitution rings! Now that Jeff's dead, he must have someone else who's second in command or something."

--- I know, honey. But, I'm sure the FBI will be able to take care of everything. I'm just glad that I didn't lose you like the Linfields lost Jessica."

Kristina smiled at her mother.

--- "I'm glad I didn't get lost either. I'm still sorry about everything—"

Alexis and Sam both cut her off.

--- "Krissy—"

--- "Sweetie, there's nothing for you to be sorry for, alright? We're strong! I mean, we have to be; we're Cassidines for Pete's sake!"

Kristina nodded in agreement.

Alexis then struggled to get off the table so she could change out of the hospital gown, but getting up to a sitting position was tougher than she anticipated; Kristina moved to help her.

--- "Thanks sweetie. Will you grab my clothes from the chair? I think that we're all going to have to speak to Lainey. That bastard affected all of us, and I don't want there to be any residual effects because of this. I want this horrible nightmare to be completely over and for us to move on with our lives."

Sam hesitantly agreed.

--- "Mom, I totally agree with you on that one, but realistically, until I get out of this chair, we're going to have a constant reminder of what that freak did to this family."

Alexis tried to move toward Sam to give her a reassuring hug or kiss, but the tightening in her stomach made it difficult. She stood, instead, against the table trying to hide the fact that she could not comfortably walk over to her girls or stand up straight. She nodded her head, and gave her daughter a sympathetic smile.

Kristina handed her mother her clothes. She noticed her mother's inability to move.

--- "Mom, do you need help?"

--- "Thanks Krissy, but I think I'm fine."

Alexis slowly got the gown off, while trying to ignore the pulling sensation from her stitches. Sam hated seeing her mother in what was visible discomfort.

--- "Mom, I think we're going to have to get a nurse."

Alexis rolled her eyes at her eldest daughter, and struggled to put her top on.

--- "No. We don't need a nurse. Patrick says that for the first couple of days, I'll be a little sore and slow moving, but I'll be fine…. See! Look at that, I'm dressed, and no help from either of you."

Kristina and Sam rolled their eyes at each other; their mother was clearly being stubborn. They looked at her mother struggling not to laugh. Sam pointed to her mother's bare legs.

--- "Um, Mom, I sincerely hope that you don't make it a habit of going outside without pants on."

Alexis turned bright red.

--- "Oh shut up.

Kristina moved over and took the pants from her mother. Alexis tried to fight her for them.

--- "Will you LET ME HELP YOU?! Aren't you always yelling at Sam for this exact reason?"

Alexis relented. Kristina bent down, while Alexis balanced herself on the examination table to get each leg into each pant leg. Kristina brought the pants up and let Alexis button it up.

--- "Thanks sweetie."

Before Kristina could respond, a little voice was heard.

--- "Mommy?"

Alexis was so happy to see her baby was awake. Molly hopped off of Sam and gave her mother a huge hug, which caused Alexis to gasp in pain. She didn't want to let her daughter know that she had hurt her, so she spoke through the pain.

--- "Oh baby… phew…. I'm so happy … to see you're awake!"

Molly smiled at her mother. She was incredibly happy to see her as well; she had missed her terribly when Jeff had her.

Sam saw the color drain from Alexis' face as Molly squeezed her harder.

--- "Ok, Molly, why don't you let Mom breathe a little bit? She's got a cut on her tummy, so when we hug her now, we have to be gentle."

Molly looked at Sam, then at her mother.

--- "Did I hurt you?"

Alexis squeezed her daughter's cheek.

--- "No baby, you could never hurt me. I'm just a little bit sore right now. Why don't you come sit down with me on the chair over there? Dr. Drake needs to come in and check Sam's back, and then I want you to have a little check-up as well."

Molly hated having check-ups, but she remembered that Sam had told her that she would need to have one; she nodded her head and helped her mother walk to the chair.

Kristina moved to help Sam up from her chair and onto the table.

--- "Thanks, Kris."

--- "No prob."

Dr. Drake knocked on the door, and walked in.

--- "Ok, patient number 2!"

Patrick helped Sam get her flip-flops off, and lied her down on her stomach. He lifted the back of her shirt to examine her back.

--- "Alright, let's see here. Yea, you definitely popped a couple of stitches here; and I see that you have some freshly placed stitches in here already! What happened there? You only left the hospital this morning, and you already had to have three stitches replaced?"

--- "I was wheeling myself out of the hospital because my mother and I had been arguing."

Patrick shook his head and laughed.

--- "Ok, well, don't do that again! You're going to delay your recovery."

He quickly numbed the area that needed to be re-stitched, and gave her two brand new stitches.

--- "Alright, there you go. From the looks of it, you won't need to wait two weeks for them to be taken out. I think that next week should be fine. Now, let me just check your reflexes, and see how much the feeling in your legs, since this morning has improved."

Sam smiled as she slowly moved herself up to a sitting position.

--- "I can already tell you that it's increased tremendously. I mean, Mol has been sleeping on my lap for about a half hour, and my legs are pretty sore! She's a heavy kid."

Molly had been sitting wrapped in her mother's arms with her head leaned Alexis' side. When she heard her sister say she was heavy, she took offense.

--- "HEY! I'm not heavy! You're bigger than me, Sam!"

Everyone in the room started laughing. Alexis tapped her youngest daughter on the nose.

--- "Silly goose, she was just joking with you."

Molly leaned back into her original position on her mother.

--- "Well, she's got a bubble butt."

The room erupted in laughter; it was a pleasant welcome to lift any remainder of the somber day.

--- "Alright, Sam, can you try to wiggle your toes?"

Everyone looked at Sam's feet when they noticed that she was clearly moving her toes. Her family rejoiced. Dr. Drake smiled at the huge improvement Sam had made since the morning.

--- "Ok, can you flex and point them for me?"

Sam did just as she was asked. It was noticeable that the movement was slow and pronounced, but nonetheless there was obvious movement there.

--- "Wow, this is incredible. I guess the stress from this morning blocked the signals from reaching your toes, but the excitement of the day, and finally having your sister back home safe, certainly did something for you. This is fantastic, Sam."

Sam was ecstatic.

--- "Oh my God! How did I not notice I could do this?"

Alexis smiled at her daughter.

--- "Honey, there was a lot going on today. Patrick, I know she's still got the stitches in, but when can she start physical therapy?"

--- "She's going to have to start next week, when the stitches are out. We don't want her to pop any more stitches. But what I can suggest is while lying in bed, Sam, you can try to flex and point your feet. You're going to want to strengthen your feet and calves before therapy begins."

Sam nodded her head.

--- "Yea, I can definitely do that!"

--- "Good. Let's get you back in your chair, and the little cutie onto the table."

Molly hid her face in her mother's side; any bravery she had before went out of the window.

--- "Go ahead baby; it's not going to take long."

--- "NO!"

Alexis could not fight with her small daughter, so she continued to plead with her.

--- "Molly, you have to get checked out. Come on."

--- "I'M NOT GOING!"

Alexis sighed. She did not want to have to scold Molly, considering everything that she had been through that day, but Alexis did not tolerate tantrums of any kind from any of her daughters, big and small. She pulled Molly away from her, lifted the child's small chin to face her, and pointed a finger to her.

--- "Molly Davis-Lansing, you will lower your voice when you speak to me, and you will march yourself to the examination table."

Molly knew the tone her mother took with her. Although she was typically an even-tempered child, she was the baby of the bunch, and therefore the most spoiled. As a result, she had a tendency to pull tantrums when she did not get what she wanted, and her mother was usually there to put her in check.

Molly got up from the chair and went to the examination table. Kristina walked over and lifted her sister onto it.

Dr. Drake came over and did a quick examination of the terrified child. When it was time to give her a shot, Molly nearly kicked him in the groin; she hated needles.

--- "WHOA! That was a close one!"

Alexis stood up, much quicker than she should have; the pain was excruciating.

--- "Shit!"

She meant to say this under her breath, but alas, due to the pain, it came out rather loudly.

--- "Molly! You do NOT kick! Apologize to Dr. Drake, RIGHT NOW!"

Molly looked at her mother with tears in her eyes; she did not want to get a shot.

--- "I'm sorry, Dr. Drake."

--- "It's okay. I know that you're scared."

Kristina walked up and sat beside her sister on the examination table.

--- "You know Mol, I hate getting shots too. And so does Sam; she's actually also afraid of needles."

Molly looked at her sister in disbelief. She knew that Kristina hated shots, but she had no idea that Sam was afraid of needles.

--- "Sam's not afraid of anything!"

Sam jumped into the conversation. In reality she really was not afraid of needles; how could she be, when she had been hurt as much as she had? But, Kristina was simply distracting Molly while Dr. Drake drew some blood, and gave her a couple of shots.

---- "Yea, I don't like to get shots either, munchkin. I think it's funny that you and I have some many things in common, don't you? Not only do you look just like me, but you're a great swimmer, you like the same foods as me, and now, you find out that I hate getting shots too! If I didn't know better, I'd say that you were my little clone!"

Patrick placed a bandage on Molly's arm.

--- "Okay, all done!"

Molly looked at him in amazement.

--- "I didn't feel anything!"

Patrick winked at the little girl.

--- "Ok, Alexis, I'll call you if anything pops up in the results. You're all free to go, but I'll see you, Mom, tomorrow afternoon."

--- "Thanks Patrick."

Alexis held her hand out for Molly. The little girl jumped off the examination and eagerly took her mother's hand. Kristina wheeled Sam. The family slowly walked out of the room, and out of the hospital where Lucky waited for them in Alexis' car to take them home.

*******************************************************************************************************************************************************

The new math has failed you SoapDemon! Having Will be Jessica's brother would have been incredibly predictable, no?

WHAT DID YOU ALL THINK????


	37. Memory

Okay, so I'm typing this filler chapter in before I start completely ending the story. I've got 4 hours to kill before I have to get to JFK to pick my best friend up (her flight's super delayed; she was supposed to be home at 9) at 2:09 am. I really loved writing this story, and I don't want to see it end; I'm prolonging the inevitable at this point with this filler.

**This is a shorter chapter than normal.**

**Chapter 37**

The Davis family arrived back home happy to be once again intact; Jeff was dead, and Molly was safe. Alexis, although in pain, tried to put a brave front for her daughters, and immediately shift into Mommy mode.

--- "Okay! Little Miss Molly, did Kristina and Sam have you take a bath since you got back?"

Molly shook her head.

--- "Nope. They just helped me change my clothes."

Normally, when Molly got back from camp, Alexis would be sure to give her a good scrub down because her youngest daughter was quite an explorer of dirt and all things filthy.

--- "Baby, why don't you go take a bath."

--- "Ok!"

Molly ran off to the bathroom to do as she was told.

Kristina and Sam looked at their mother, who looked like she was in agony; it was clear that the pain medication was beginning to wear off. Sam began to wheel herself in her mother's direction.

--- "Mom, I think you need to sit down before—"

Alexis gasped at the sight of Sam wheeling herself.

--- "SAMANTHA! What are you doing? In one day, you've popped 5 stitches and had to have your back re-stitched twice! I do not want you to have to get another set of stitches done! Dr. Drake told you that you shouldn't be straining your back!"

Sam rolled her eyes at her mother.

--- "Yea, so says the woman with 35 stitches in her stomach. You can't even stand up straight. You look like you're about to pass out! Why don't you just sit down?"

Alexis was not about to sit around and be unproductive; that was not her nature.

--- "Have you seen your sister when she's gotten out of the tub from camp? I don't know what she does in the tub because God knows she spends a long time in there, but she comes out just as messy as when she went in it. Plus, she's just been with that freak for hours, I want to give her a good scrub down."

Kristina reached in her pocket and threw her phone at her mother.

--- "Mom, catch!"

Alexis, who was slouched, instinctively straightened up to catch it, or at least move to block the phone from hitting her. As she moved, Alexis screamed in agony.

--- "DAAAAAAAMNIT! Oh my God! What the hell was that Kristina?! SHIIIIIT!"

Kristina felt bad for causing her mother pain, but she had to prove a point to her.

--- "Sorry about that, but I think it's obvious that you're in pain and you need to take it easy—"

Alexis interrupted her daughter.

--- "What about Sam? Molly? And You?"

--- "What about me?! I'm more than capable of taking care of myself, thank you. As for Sam, she just needs help off and on the chair, which I'm willing to do; she's more than capable of doing everything else by herself."

Sam nodded in agreement.

--- "Yea, Mom I'm fine! I already told you that I'm not a porcelain doll; you don't have to worry about me as much as you do. I can handle myself."

Kristina continued before Alexis tried to pick a fight with her older sister about being independent too soon after surgery.

--- "Finally, to our little munchkin, well, the reason she's always a mess when she gets out of the tub is because well… you know what, why don't you come check out the reason? I don't think she's expecting you to come in, especially since you look like crap right now—"

--- "Thanks."

--- "No offense! I'm just saying that she'll probably do what she does when she knows you're not going to give her a bath."

Alexis rolled her eyes.

--- "Yea, none taken, Kristina."

Alexis rolled her eyes and slowly walked toward Molly and Kristina's bathroom; Kristina and Sam followed her.

Alexis slowly opened the door to the girls bathroom, and saw Molly spinning herself as fast as she could around the Jacuzzi tub. The jets were shooting water out at full blast, and Molly looked as though she were attempting to replicate the washing machine's spin cycle; there were bubbles everywhere. She was so active in the tub that she did not even notice her mother and two sisters peering in at her.

Alexis pulled the door closed. She wanted to laugh so badly at the sight of her youngest daughter splashing around in the bathtub, but she knew that trying to do so would only make her stomach hurt more. Sam started laughing when she saw the expression of pained amusement on her mother's face. Alexis looked at her daughters amazed at what she had just witnessed.

--- "Ok, what the hell was that about and how did I not know this?"

Both Kristina and Sam shrugged. Sam answered, trying to suppress her hysterical laughter.

--- "Apparently, Molly got the idea somehow that in the same fashion that a washing machine washes clothes, by spinning and swishing them around, and they become miraculously clean, if she moves and swishes fast enough in the tub, she could accomplish that same goal."

Alexis shook her head in disbelief.

--- "Please tell me that she doesn't use detergent!"

Kristina shook her head at her mother's ignorance.

--- "Seriously, Mom, do you really think that we would let her bathe in detergent? We're not crazy! She's using shower gel and bubble bath. We figured that you would've figured that something was up when you realized that you were running to the drug store every other week to buy her shower gel. Really, didn't you think it was weird for a small kid like Mol to go through that much stuff every two weeks? This would be the reason why we constantly hide our stuff from her; if you haven't noticed, your kid is crazy!"

Alexis continued to try to suppress the urge to laugh.

--- "Why in the world did you two allow her to continue to do that? Wait, how long has she been doing this?"

Both girls shrugged and looked at each other. Sam answered.

--- "Um, a couple of months? We thought it was hilarious! We even took a video of it and posted it on YouTube! It's gotten nearly a million views!"

Now Alexis looked shocked and amused at the same time. She wasn't a fan of having her daughter's bath time posted for the world to see. However being as there was a wall of bubbles, and her other daughter's would never post anything inappropriate of their sister, the concept was hilarious.

--- "Ok, I don't even know what to say about all that. I'm not even going to take care of that tonight because I'm going to admit that I'm in pain, and I just want to lie down. Kristina, since you claim that you've got everything under control, I want her washed properly please. Scrub her down, and make sure that she doesn't have any dirt under her fingernails or in her hair. When she's done, send her to my room… And Sam, you might as well help her. I'm sure you're the cause of her thinking that the Jacuzzi was the equivalent to the washing machine. And this YouTube business has your name and doing written all over it."

Sam was about to protest, but she decided against it; this was the first time in weeks that her mother was actually allowing her to do something.

--- "Okie dokie Mom!"

****************************************************************************************************************************************************

Alexis managed to change out of her clothes, and into a nightgown; she could not bear trying to put on a pair of pajamas, as bending down to get the bottoms on would have been torturous. She took the pain medication the doctor had prescribed for her and waited for it to kick in and start working. She reached over and grabbed the photo of her family she kept by her nightstand; the picture was taken the previous Christmas Eve; she smiled at the memory of that day.

**_Flashback_**

_Sam entered the house with three shopping bags on the evening of Christmas Eve._

_--- "I come bearing gifts!"_

_Molly was the first one in the living room to greet her sister. She gave Sam a hug._

_--- "SAMMY! What did you bring me?"_

_Sam kissed her sister on the top of the head._

_--- "Hey munchkin. Wait, you'll see! MOM! KRISSY!"_

_Alexis and Kristina came into the living room to greet Sam._

_--- Hey Sammy!"_

_--- "Hi honey, what do you have there?"_

_Alexis gave Sam a kiss on the cheek and tried to sneak a peak in the bag. Sam pulled the bag from her view._

_--- "Excuse you! Hasn't anyone taught you any manners?"_

_Alexis stuck her tongue out at her daughter. Sam returned the gesture. She handed her mother and sisters their bags._

_--- "Well, this one's for you Molly, and you Krissy, and you, Mommy! Now, go to your rooms and put them on, but don't look at them until you get in there."_

_Alexis, Molly, and Kristina did as they were told and went to their rooms; Sam then went to her own room to change._

_The girls were out in the living room dressed in their Christmas pajamas Sam had picked out for them before their mother. Alexis stepped out dressed in a very female and fashionable version of Santa's suit; it even had a mock belt around it and matching hat. The girls screamed in enjoyment when they saw their mother._

_--- "Whoa! Foxy lady, Mrs. Claus!"_

_--- "Mommy, you look so nice! Do you think that Santa might think you're his wife tonight?"_

_--- "Yea, maybe he'll leave us a few extra presents tonight!"_

_Alexis had to laugh at her daughters' reaction._

_--- "Thanks! And thank you my beautiful daughter."_

_She gave Sam a kiss on the forehead and sat on the chair._

_--- "Ok, let's see what you're all wearing, starting with the oldest to the youngest."_

_Sam stood up and modeled the pajamas she had picked out for herself. Her pajamas had Vixen written across the chest, with a humanlike reindeer flirtingly posed harnessed to the sleigh while Santa looked at her longingly. Alexis rolled her eyes and shook her head at her daughter's choice._

_--- "Very appropriate, Samantha!"_

_Sam laughed at her mother's facial expression; she knew she would get a kick out of her likely choice._

_ --- "I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself!"_

_Kristina's pajamas had another humanlike reindeer on the front with a boombox over its shoulder; it was clearly dancing. Alexis was confused._

_--- "Um, and who is this one supposed to be?"_

_Kristina giggled, and turned around and stuck her butt out towards her mother. Alexis swatted it away._

_--- "Ah, Prancer. Seriously, I never understood why the new fad has become having words written across your behind."_

_--- "It's funny!"_

_Alexis laughed as well._

_--- "Alright, and my baby, who are you dressed as?"_

_Molly, who was seven at the time, stood up and walked up to her mother; she was dressed in a black long sleeved shirt, and pants with dark clouds and houses close to the feet. Alexis was once again perplexed._

_--- "Poke me in the stomach, Mommy!"_

_Alexis frowned, but did as she was told. Suddenly, a large red dot appeared on Molly's shirt, and a cute reindeer became noticeable leading the way for the other reindeer and Santa trailing across the back of her shirt; it was a hologram-like shirt._

_--- "Ah, my little Rudolph!"_

_Molly giggled. Alexis gave Molly a kiss on her nose._

_--- "Alright, how about we take a picture of us in our Christmas pajamas?_

_The girls posed in front of the tree with Sam emulating the reindeer on her shirt, Kristina with her butt to the camera, but she turned her head to face it smiling, and Molly poked at her stomach. Alexis shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes. The camera snapped right at that moment._

**_End of Flashback_**

The picture always made Alexis laugh; she loved her girls more than words could describe. She was so grateful that everything was over, and now they could start to rebuild their lives.

Molly walked into her mother's room freshly bathed and dressed in a pair of shorts and a tank top. Alexis looked at her daughter and smiled; she patted the bed for her to hop in. Molly gave her mother a gentle hug.

--- "Hi Mommy!"

--- "Hi my beautiful baby. You smell yummy! Did your sisters use their body wash on you?"

Molly nodded.

--- "Yea! They said that I was still dirty and my washing machine bath doesn't work."

Alexis smiled at her baby girl.

--- "Let me look at you."

She looked her daughter up and down.

--- "Baby, what happened to your knees?"

--- "I fell when I forgot that he had my legs tied to the chair. I wanted to run away and come home to you, but I fell. I cried so hard, Mommy; I wanted you."

She took the little girls face in her hands and stared at her for a second.

--- "Baby, I don't even know how to express how much I love you and your sisters. I'm profoundly happy and thankful that the bad man did not hurt you. I don't ever want to lose you. I promise you sweetheart, nothing like that will ever happen to you again. I love you, Mol."

--- "I love you too, Mommy."

Despite the pain that was still present at the wound, Alexis refused to let Molly sleep anywhere but in the bed snuggled next to her.

--- "I don't want to ever let you go, baby girl."

Molly fell sound asleep in her mother's arms.

****************************************************************************************************************************************************

A/N They literally landed just as I finished reviewing this. Off to the airport I go! (It's 2 am).


	38. Perfect

Alright, this is a special day for two reasons: 1) it's my last glimpse of true Saturday freedom until December, and 2) it's what would've been my brother's 28th birthday [he died in 2006]. Soooo, before I go out partying and taking celebratory shots for him, I'm going to get this story finished!

**Chapter 38**

Kristina woke up at seven o'clock in the morning. She went to her bathroom, brushed her teeth and showered. She went to the kitchen and looked over the menu for Kelly's and placed an order for French toast, scrambled eggs, and bacon. She knew that her mother and Sam both loved Kelly's coffee, so she ordered two large cups, as well. She looked at the clock; it was seven thirty. She knew that her mother would be just waking up.

Alexis woke up the next morning more sore than she had ever been before; Molly was lying on her side, with her head on her mother's outstretched arm, which was sticky from her drool, her own arm was draped across her mother's face, and her right leg was wrapped around her mother's waist. When she realized that she couldn't move, Alexis made a mental note to never have her youngest daughter in bed with her after being stabbed and needing 35 stitches; she forgot how much of a wild sleep Molly could be. It also did not help that her daughter had had nightmares and woke up several times in the night; each time, it seemed that she grasped onto her mother tighter.

As Alexis was trying to maneuver herself out of the bed without waking Molly, and inflicting more pain to herself, Kristina walked in.

--- "Morning, Mom… Wow! I can't believe you slept with the monster after what happened yesterday! Clearly you forgot that she is wild and even more hyper in her sleep than when she's awake?"

Alexis sighed and rolled her eyes; this was becoming a new habit when dealing with her daughters.

--- "Kristina, can you just help me get your sister off of me? That would make my day. I'm in a crazy amount of pain right now, so I can't say I'm in the mood for the quips."

Kristina quickly moved to free her mother from Molly's entanglement.

--- "Sorry Mom, I just wanted to see how you were doing."

Alexis felt bad for snapping at her daughter.

--- "Sweetie, I'm the one who should be sorry; I shouldn't have snapped at you. I just didn't expect to be in this much pain when I woke up. Now, will you help me up?"

Kristina smiled at Alexis.

--- "Sure."

As Kristina helped her sit up and then move to stand up, Alexis gasped in pain and gripped her daughter's arm.

--- "Ok, you would think that after having three babies, one of which was born in a tunnel, I could handle pain, but GOD, this is horrible. Do me a favor, take me to Sam's bathroom; I want to shower, and I'm going to need a seat to do so."

--- "Alright, hold on, I'll grab your bathrobe."

Kristina ran to her mother's bathroom, grabbed her bathrobe, then wrapped her arm around her mother's waist and led her to her sister's bathroom.

--- "I hate to see you in so much pain, Mom. Where are your meds?"

--- "They're on the nightstand, but I can't take them until I've eaten."

--- "Well, it's a good thing that I ordered breakfast from Kelly's!"

The doorbell rang right on cue just as they were crossing the living room.

--- "And there it is!"

Alexis leaned down and kissed her daughter on the top of the head.

--- "Krissy, I'm so grateful for you. Why don't you go handle that, I'll be fine from here."

--- "Ok, call me on the intercom if you need anything!"

--- "Thanks."

Kristina ran out of the room to get the food.

Alexis made her way into her eldest daughter's room; Sam was still asleep. So Alexis quietly stepped into the bathroom.

****************************************************************************************************************************************************

Kristina knew that her family needed her more than anything at that point. She therefore decided that she was going to become the head of it until Alexis was fit to reclaim her role as the Davis matriarch. She took the containers of food she ordered from Kelly's out and set the table; it was eight o'clock and time for Sam and Molly to wake up. She wanted her family to have breakfast together.

Kristina walked into Sam's room and pulled the sheets off of her sister.

--- "Hey, Sam, get up."

Sam groaned.

--- "Get out, Kristina!"

Kristina shook Sam awake.

--- "Come on Sam! Breakfast is here!"

--- "SO?"

--- "We're eating together as a family."

Sam threw her pillow at her sister.

--- "I swear to God Kristina, if you don't get out of here, I'm going to run you over with my wheelchair when I actually decide to get out of this bed! GET OUT!"

Alexis walked out of Sam's bathroom freshly showered. She was still in a significant amount of pain, therefore hearing her daughters argue was not on her list of pain relieving cures.

--- "What's going on here?"

Sam rolled over and scooted up in the bed; despite having the stitches in, she had become quite good at maneuvering by herself.

--- "For whatever reason, Kristina thought that she would come and wake me up!"

Alexis was not in the mood for this childish bickering.

--- "Kristina, why are you waking Sam up? You know that she hates that! And Sam, you're acting like a teenager instead of a 29 year old woman! It's eight; you ALWAYS wake up at eight! Why are you throwing a tantrum?"

Sam let out an annoyed sigh.

--- "First of all, it's not eight, its seven-fifty five. Secondly, you do not come into someone's room and wake them up by pulling the sheets off of them and demanding they get up. And thirdly, WHY THE HELL IS SHE WAKING ME UP IN THE FIRST PLACE?! If I wanted to sleep until eight tonight, it really has nothing to do with her! And I'm not throwing a tantrum, Mom."

Kristina jumped in.

--- "Yea, threatening to roll me over with your wheelchair and throwing a pillow at me is not at all a tantrum."

Alexis put her hand up to stop any crosstalk and further arguing.

--- "Samantha, you're already awake, so you might as well stay up and have breakfast with us. Kristina, please respect your sister's right to sleep. Now, help her into her chair and wheel her into the bathroom. When you're ready to have the dressing changed on your wound Sam, let me know."

--- "Did you change your dressing, Mom?" Kristina questioned her mother.

--- "Yes, Mommy, I did. My wound's on my stomach, so I'm capable of changing it myself. Don't worry about me, honey, I'm alright."

Suddenly, they heard a scream coming from Alexis' room; it was Molly.

****************************************************************************************************************************************************

Molly was having a nightmare that Jeff was coming after her; he was trying to tie her down in a chair so that he could look at her. She kept screaming out for her mother, but Alexis was nowhere to be found. When she jolted up from her sleep to find herself alone in her mother's bed, she became frightened that Jeff had instead gone after her mother again.

---- "AAAAH!!! MOMMY!!!!! WHERE ARE YOU??? I WANT MY MOMMY!!!!"

Alexis heard her daughter screaming for her from across the house in Sam's room. She ran to her bedroom as top speed despite the tearing pain she felt in her stomach; she needed to get to her baby. Kristina and Sam followed closely behind.

--- "Baby, I'm right here! Come to Mommy."

Alexis stood at the side of the bed closest to her hysterical youngest daughter. Molly stood up on the bed, and ran into her mother's arms. Alexis wanted to pick her petite eight year old up and just cradle her, but the pain in her stomach felt like a thousand daggers stabbing her.

Instead, Alexis managed to bring herself down, with Molly in her arms, to a sitting position on the bed. Molly continued to whimper into her mother's shoulder.

--- "Oh my baby, did you have a bad dream?"

Molly nodded her head. Alexis kissed the top of her daughter's head.

--- "I'm so sorry to hear that, but everything is alright, okay? Mommy's hear with you. Remember what I told you last night?"

--- "That you… that you wont let anything bad happen to me?"

--- "That's right, and I promise you that. I'm not letting you go, baby."

Molly felt appeased.

--- "Mommy, I'm hungry."

Kristina, who had been standing in the corner quietly with Sam, interjected.

--- "Well it's a good thing that you are because I ordered French Toast, bacon and eggs for breakfast! It's in the kitchen getting cold…"

Molly hopped off of her mother's lap, unknowingly causing the wind to be knocked out of Alexis. The little girl ran to the kitchen oblivious to the fact that her mother was practically doubled over in pain.

Sam wheeled over to her mother, ignoring the fact that she had been numerously told to refrain from wheeling herself while she had stitches in her back.

--- "Mom, are you sure you're ok?"

Alexis painfully nodded her head.

--- "Yea, honey, I'm fine. I just didn't expect her to hop off of me the way that she did. But I'm fine! No worries!"

--- "Ok, I think you should just take the meds now, and then eat. Like you say, you don't want to scare Molly. If she saw you like this, she would be terrified."

--- "Yeah, you're probably right. UGH! I need to get dressed, but bending down is a bitch."

--- "Well, only put things on that go over your head…"

Alexis rolled her eyes.

--- "And underwear?"

Sam winked at her mother.

--- "Commando."

Alexis held in her desire to laugh; she simply pointed to the door.

--- "Out."

****************************************************************************************************************************************************

The following week, Sam's stitches were finally taken out and she began physical therapy. Because she had been secretly, with the help of Kristina, of course, working on standing up from the wheelchair on her own, she was excelling in therapy. While sitting at dinner with the family one night, Sam let the family in on some good news that she had received from her therapist.

--- "Well, you'll be happy to know, that I've been doing so well with P.T., that Mark thinks I'll be out of this chair in about a week!"

Alexis was extremely excited to hear this.

--- "Honey, that's wonderful news; I'm so proud of you! But, isn't that a bit soon?"

Sam shook her head.

--- "Mom, no! I mean, I'm not going to be running around the house—"

Molly interrupted.

--- "Will you be able to go swimming with me again in the lake?"

Sam squeezed her sister's cheek.

--- "Baby, not yet, but hopefully soon. I can move my legs now, but I'll be using crutches to help me get around, and will still need to have the wheelchair handy—"

Molly interrupted again.

--- "If you can move your legs, how come you can't walk?"

--- "Well, my legs aren't strong enough yet for me to completely support my body weight. I've been sitting in this chair for so long that my muscles became weak. So, I have to work really hard to make them stronger again, so that I can be completely free of the wheelchair."

--- "And then you'll be able to swim with me?"

Sam kissed her sister on the top of the head.

--- "And then I'll be able to swim with you."

Molly was so excited that when she reached to hug her sister, her iced tea spilled on the table. Kristina was livid.

--- "Molly, you're so stupid—"

Alexis never tolerated her children calling each other names.

--- "KRISTINA ADELA DAVIS-CORINTHOS, don't you ever call your sister stupid! What's the matter with you?!"

Kristina got up and stormed from the table. Alexis turned to her youngest daughter, who was on the verge of tears.

--- "Baby, you're not stupid, okay? It was just an accident."

Molly nodded her head and leaned into Sam, and whispered to her mother.

--- "I'm sorry."

Sam wrapped her arms around her little sister.

--- "Mol, like Mom said, it was an accident! Why don't you and I clean this mess up, okay?"

Alexis stood up, mouthed 'Thank you,' to her eldest daughter, and walked to Kristina's room. She had Jax put Kristina's door back on its hinges since she had shown herself to be trustworthy and reformed from the Jeff incident. Alexis opened the door, without bothering to knock.

--- "Please do come in."

Kristina was sitting on her bed with her face resting against her bended knees.

--- "Lose the attitude Kristina."

Kristina looked up at her mother, with tears running down her face. Alexis was concerned and softened.

--- "Sweetie, what's going on? Why are you crying?"

--- "I just want everything to be perfect."

Alexis, who was still experiencing slight pain and discomfort from her stitches, winced a little when she sat down next to her daughter.

--- "Krissy, nothing in this world is perfect—"

--- "I know! I just wanted everything to be close to perfect!"

Alexis was puzzled.

--- "Why?"

Kristina started crying harder.

--- "Because everything has been so bad, and I wanted everything to be good again; I wanted everything to be better than good—"

Alexis pulled her daughter to her.

--- "Oh sweetie, is that why you've been working tirelessly to make sure that we had a perfect breakfast, lunch, and dinner with all the trimmings?"

Kristina nodded her head. Alexis continued.

--- "Yea, everything was bad before, but don't you see that we're getting passed all that? I'm safe, you're safe, Molly's home, and Sam is starting to walk again! Baby, nothing in this world is perfect, but having my three girls home, safe, and healthy is as close to perfect as we can get! Do you understand?"

Again Kristina nodded her head.

--- "Ok, good. Now, I want you to go apologize to your little sister and come back to the dinner table."

--- "Alright."

Alexis gave her daughter a hug, and held out her hand for them to go back to the table to finish their dinner.

****************************************************************************************************************************************************

After dinner, Alexis went back to her room to change the dressing on her wound. Sam entered without knocking. Alexis looked up from what she was doing at her daughter.

--- "I swear, no one in this house knocks anymore."

Sam laughed.

--- "I guess Mol rubbed off on all of us; if the door isn't locked, privacy isn't requested!"

Alexis rolled her eyes and smiled; she fumbled to remove the previous dressing. Sam wheeled up to her and took the gauze, tape, and ointment from her.

--- "I don't know why you don't ask me to do this for you Mom."

Alexis shrugged.

--- "Because I'm the Mom. I take care of you, not the other way around."

Sam looked up at her mother.

--- "You're so stubborn! You can't do everything by yourself, you know. Mom, we take care of each other."

Alexis rolled her eyes.

--- "Yea, yea."

--- "So what was up with Kristina?"

--- "She just wanted everything to be perfect."

Sam nodded her head.

--- "Yea, well, everything had been pretty screwed up for a while—"

Sam finished dressing the wound.

--- "There, done."

--- "Thanks honey."

--- "No thanks necessary. After everything you've done for me, and had to put up with in regard to my attitude, Mom, I owe you more than I could ever repay."

Alexis took her daughter's face in her hands.

--- "You don't owe me anything sweetheart. I would gladly take care of you and your sisters all the days of your life, healthy or not, paralyzed or not; you're mine."

****************************************************************************************************************************************************

A/N: Final chapter coming up. Stay Tuned.


	39. Encore

**Encore**

I wanted to have an even 40 chapters to this story, but seeing as I've got to read 60 pages for my first class on Thursday, not to mention brief any cases mentioned therein, and I'm still waiting for my assignments for the other courses. As a result, this is the end. :(

Thank you all for your support and kind (although, some crazy [ahem]) reviews. They were greatly appreciated.

Please Review your thoughts and comments about Déjà Vu.

~*~ Meliora ~*~

**Chapter 39**

It had been six months since everything had transpired. Sam was completely out of the wheelchair, and used a single cane to get around. Sam had even moved back to her apartment.

_**Flashback**_

_Sam walked out of her room to the living room to where her sisters and mother were sitting. Molly was visibly upset._

_--- "Baby, what's the matter?"_

_While Molly was still having nightmares about Jeff, they were not as frequent as they had previously been. Where Alexis used to share her bed with her daughter six out of the seven nights in a week, she now only had a middle of the night visit from her daughter once every couple of weeks. Despite this, Molly still had anxiety of her family falling apart and everyone leaving her. She ran into her sister's arms._

_--- "I don't want you to leave! Why can't you live here forever?"_

_Sam's heart hurt at the thought that she had upset her little sister._

_--- "Aww, munchkin, because I have to try and get my life back to normal. I love living here with you, Krissy, and Mom, but I've got my own place. You know that you'll see me all the time, as usual, right? It'll be like I never left."_

_Molly was not happy about her sister leaving, but she knew that Sam would never lie to her and she would be at the lake house often._

_--- "Okay."_

_Alexis got up and gave her daughter a hug and kiss._

_--- "I'm going to miss having you here, honey."_

_--- "I'm gonna miss being here. I love you guys."_

_--- "We love you."_

_Kristina gave her sister a hug as well._

_--- "I don't know why everyone's acting as though you're leaving the country! I mean, you live like 10 minutes away. Bye."_

_Sam shook her head. _

_--- You're a mess, Krissy."_

_She reached in her pocket and handed Kristina a key._

_--- "I trust that you won't be bringing any guys to my place?"_

_Kristina shook her head._

_--- "I swear to you Sammy, I'm not doing any of that stuff anymore."_

_Sam gave her sister another hug._

_--- "Good, because now I'm armed with this cane. Don't make me use it."_

_Kristina laughed and reciprocated the hug._

_--- "Yea, yea, I get it, and believe me, I learned my lesson."_

_After Kristina moved away from Sam, Alexis took Sam's face in her hands._

_--- "Honey, I have to say it again, I'm going to miss having you here! I loved having my three girls with me under one roof. I want you here in your bed at least once a week, okay? And I want you over for dinner at least seven times a week. Understood?"_

_Sam laughed._

_--- "Yes Mother."_

_Alexis smiled and kissed Sam on the forehead._

_--- "Good, now where are your car keys?"_

_Sam pulled them out of her pocket and showed her mother the keys. She did a double take when she saw the keys she was holding._

_--- "Wait, these aren't my keys."_

_Alexis smiled at her._

_--- "Yes they are."_

_Sam was confused; she knew that she had not driven her car in months, but she certainly remembered what her keys looked like, and the ones in her hands were not it._

_--- "Mom, I know what my keys look like, and these aren't them. My goodness, these aren't even Jeep keys! These are for a BMW."_

_Alexis walked with her daughter outside to the porch._

_--- "You mean, like that car over there?"_

_Alexis was pointing to the silver BMW she had purchased for her daughter. Sam looked at her mother in disbelief._

_--- "Oh my God! You bought me a car? Mom, I already have a car."_

_Alexis shook her head._

_--- "Samantha, you have an old jeep, which I must say I hate. Secondly, you've just completely gotten out of the wheelchair; I know that you're going to want to drive yourself around. I don't want you doing so in a car that uses foot pedals. This one is hand-operated and ridiculously easy to drive."_

_Sam was touched by her mother's gesture. Not only was Alexis letting her have some more freedom, but she had purchased her a new car. She gave her mother a huge hug._

_--- "Thanks Mom!"_

_--- "Anything for you honey."_

_With that, Sam was off to her apartment to begin living her life independently again._

_**End of Flashback**_

Sam smiled at the memory of the day she moved back to her apartment. While she still considered the lake house to be her home, her apartment was the beginning of her new life as a once again independent woman.

She and Lucky had once again begun dating and things were getting serious between them. Lucky no longer tried to change her thrill-seeking nature, and Sam had never stopping being in love with him. When he saved her in the hospital basement, when he saved her mother from Jeff, Sam felt the love for Lucky resurface 10 times over; she wanted only him.

She picked up her phone and dialed his number.

--- "Hey honey, what time are you getting here?"

The doorbell rang. Sam looked through the peephole; it was him.

--- "I'm already here."

****************************************************************************************************************************************************

Kristina had finally gotten her license. She was super excited about the idea of being able to drive on her own, without her mother's constant nagging in the passenger's seat. She wanted to go out celebrating her new accomplishment with her family.

--- "Mom, let's go to the MetroCourt for dinner. Tell Jax that I want a cake made for me in the shape of a car key for dessert! I want to drive!"

Alexis rolled her eyes at her excited teen.

--- "Honey, there were quite a few demands in there; care to start over?"

Kristina put her hands on her waist.

--- "Mommy, can we please go to the MetroCourt for dinner? Also, can you please ask Jax if he can get a cake made for me in the shape of a car key for dessert? And, may I drive us there?"

Alexis lifted her daughter's chin and kissed her on the nose.

--- "That's better Krissy. Let's see: yes, no, and yes."

Kristina hugged her mother.

--- "I guess two out of three isn't so bad. Let me call Sam to see if she wants to come. We can swing by and pick her up!"

--- "Alright, let me go get Molly."

Alexis left the room to find her youngest daughter. Kristina got on the phone and dialed her sister's number.

--- "Hey Sammy."

--- "Hi Krissy."

Sam sounded out of breath.

--- "Um, why are you out of breath?"

Sam blushed on the other line. Lucky nibbled her free ear.

--- "Oh, no reason. What's u-up [ahem]?"

Kristina was grossed out; she had a feeling she knew what caused Sam's shortened breath.

--- "Is Lucky over?"

[Silence]

--- "Gross, Sam, that's just gross!"

Alexis walked back in the room, with Molly in tow.

--- "What's gross?"

Kristina turned around and blushed at her mother.

--- "Your daughter on the phone."

Alexis reached for the phone and took it to her ear.

--- "SAMANTHA?"

Sam pushed Lucky away from her so she did not sound distracted on the phone when talking to her mother.

--- "Hi Mom."

The 'hi' was a bit more aspirated than she would have liked. Alexis walked onto the porch and hissed into the phone.

--- "Samantha, you do not pick up the phone when you're 'occupied'!"

Sam reddened more.

--- "I'm sorry, Mom. What's up?"

Alexis shook her head.

--- "Your sister got her license, and she wanted to know if you wanted to come with us to the MetroCourt to celebrate. However, seeing as you are otherwise predisposed, I'm going to have to say that you are not going to want to celebrate with your family."

Sam felt bad.

--- "Mom, are you mad?"

Alexis was actually far from being upset with her daughter.

--- "Honey, no! I'm actually very happy for you and Lucky; it is Lucky, isn't it?"

Sam rolled her eyes.

--- "YES, MOTHER!"

Alexis chuckled.

--- "No need to scream Samantha. Anyway, enjoy yourself. We'll talk later. I love you."

--- "I love you too, Mom. Sorry again. I'll see you tomorrow."

Alexis hung up the phone and went back into the house.

--- "Alright, your sister won't be able to make it for dinner. But, no worries, we'll see her tomorrow. Get your coats."

Alexis grabbed the car keys from the table and threw them at her middle daughter.

--- "Krissy, heads up."

Kristina caught the keys, grabbed her coat and ran out the door.

****************************************************************************************************************************************************

After dinner, Kristina, Alexis, and Molly, got back in their car and headed back home.

Sam decided to jump into the shower while Lucky got dinner prepared, or rather unpacked, since they had ordered out.

Alexis was mindful as usual of the way that her daughter was driving, ensuring the her hands were on 10 and 2 at all times.

Sam came out of the shower to an apartment lit up only by candles.

--- "Mom, seriously, relax!"

Lucky was in the middle of the living room on his bended knee.

--- "Kristina, unless you want me to have you pull this car over, you will lose the attitude and do as I say. You're a new driver with a lot to learn."

--- "Lucky, what is this?"

A car was swerving in and out of the lanes on the opposite side of the street.

--- "Samantha McCall, will you marry me?"

--- "KRISTINA, WATCH OUT!"

Sam was at a loss for words.

There was a blinding light approaching them.

Time stood still.

Her phone began ringing.

Sirens were heard approaching.

****************************************************************************************************************************************************

**Season Finale.**

Thanks for reading! (insert maniacal evil laugh)

I'm sorry, but I had to do it.

**Now get over to Encore Une Fois the sequel to this story.... I like reviews and tend to get evil when I don't get them, soooooo.....**

**THANKS FOR READING!**


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